Only An Animal
by Aria6
Summary: An extraterrestrial fic, inspired by ShadowThorne! Ichigo is a young xenosociologist, assigned to an unsurveyed planet. He finds what he's sure is intelligent life, but can he convince anyone else? There are some who have reasons to want them to stay animals... Ichigo/Grimm/Shiro threesomes.
1. Chapter 1

Ichigo took a deep breath of cool, refreshing air and smiled.

"Glad to finally get here, eh?" One of his fellow xenobiologists, a friendly man named Renji, said as he clapped him on the back. Ichigo winced a little at the power behind that gesture and returned it with a punch on the shoulder, which made the other man laugh. They'd gone to school together and were very good friends.

"Damn right I am. That ship smelled like ass." He said, making Renji laugh. "I've waited for this for so long." He said as he gazed up into the sky. The sun was shining, although it was hard to see behind a thick layer of fog.

He was on planet A347, also known as Typhoon. It was named that for the tremendous and tremendously violent storms that regularly ripped through the world, devastating the equatorial region. The first expedition had thought they could ride out those storms with modern technology. So far, no bodies had been collected.

So instead of following their grisly example, the new team had set up in the more temperate latitudes. This particular spot reminded Ichigo of a savannah, full of rolling grasslands and groves of scrubby trees, reaching for the sun. The grasses around him were unfamiliar, of course. But one of their specialists would be examining them soon.

Ichigo had specialized in xenosociology, or the study of intelligent, non-human life forms. It was unlikely he'd be using that speciality, but it was policy to always include a xenosociologist on a mission to a completely unsurveyed planet. And he had two subspecialties, xenoarchaeology – not useful unless they found sentients – and general xenobiology with an emphasis on fauna. The last would probably be what he would end up using, unless he got very lucky and they found intelligent life.

That was his holy grail, his great hope for the mission. To find intelligent life. To date humanity had only encountered three other intelligent species, and they were all at a pre-industrial level. It seemed that steelmaking was a large barrier. That didn't surprise Ichigo in the least. He was also a student of human history, and there was a good case that steel had been invented exactly once, in China. It had spread over the globe from there. So clearly, it was a hard mental leap to make.

Ichigo knew that at the very best, he would find a Stone Age culture here. From orbit, there were no signs at all of intelligent life. No encampments, no small villages, nothing. On two of the planets with intelligent life, they'd detected small villages from orbit. The one where they'd missed it had been a Stone Age culture where the aliens lived in small, family groups. Ichigo was hoping against hope that he might find something like that here.

"Oh Ichigo! Renji!" Ichigo smiled and turned to see the leader of the expedition, Urahara Kisuke, waving a fan at him. He'd only seen the man's pictures until now. He and a small scouting group had gone ahead to establish the base of operations. "Please come, we're having a quick meeting!"

"Yes sir!" He called back, quickly hurrying over, Renji following close behind. Soon they were in a tent, along with a small crowd of people. Ichigo recognized the other xenobiologists, but none of the other specialities, oddly enough.

"I've called you here because there was a message to me with your ship, a rather urgent communication from one of our sponsers." Urahara said cheerfully and Ichigo blinked. There were several sponsers of the mission, starting with the planetary government of Hallelujah and ending with several corporations that had already purchased mineral rights on spec. "Some of the samples we've sent back are already causing a huge stir on the gem market. Here is one." He held up a blue gem. It reminded Ichigo of a moonstone, perfectly smooth and slightly opaque. But it was also something like an opal, with flashing green hidden in its depths. "Pass it around, please, and sniff it." Sniff? Ichigo waited patiently until he got the gem. He rolled it in his hand, surprised at the texture. It felt almost gummy, although it was definitely hard. Lifting it to his nose he sniffed and his eyes widened. It smelled like…

"Sex." He muttered and then blushed darkly as the people around him laughed. But the scent of the gem was both musky and compelling and made him immediately think of sex.

"Indeed! What you smell is a rather potent natural musk." Urahara said as Ichigo passed the stone along. "It's a mild aphrodisiac and stimulant, and completely natural. You can see why those stones are quite popular." He said and several people nodded. "They activate more strongly with body heat, as well. So a pendant of it, worn between the breasts as a young woman works up a sweat dancing…" He leered playfully and everyone laughed this time. "Although we call it a stone, it's definitely an animal product, which is why I called you here. We need to try to locate whatever creature generates these and see if they can be domesticated."

"Yes sir." Everyone murmured. Then Urahara gave them all the information he had on the stones, which wasn't much. They were commonly found in streams, but could also be found scattered in completely random locations. They came in all different colors but so far the most colors found in one spot had been four. The least they had found had been two. Ichigo got to see some of the other colors and he hesitantly touched a large, lovely white teardrop. It was truly unusual, sparkling with gold. The musk it emitted was stronger, probably because of the larger size.

"I wonder if they could be some kind of scent marking?" Renji mused, picking up a red stone that glittered with black. "They're gorgeous. I wonder if we could keep a few for ourselves?"

"Probably a few, as gifts for friends and family. I wouldn't go trying to sell them though." Ichigo warned him. The sponsers of missions like this were willing to overlook a few souvenirs, but not outright pilfering. Renji nodded.

"Of course. Well, we better get to work." He set down the stone and Ichigo nodded. They quickly left the tent to begin their duties.

They would be on this planet a long, long time.

* * *

Grimmjow twitched his tail as he watched the stranger walking through his territory.

The stranger was wary, eyes constantly moving over the surroundings. Grimmjow approved of that. His territory was not really too dangerous aside from, well, him, but that was how you survived in this world. The unwary died, usually sooner rather than later.

The wariness combined with his presence confused the blue one, though. His scent markers were all over his territory. So were the mating marks he shared with Shiro, the white one who shared his den. They had been mated for some time, although Shiro had frankly owned that he was barren. That might have bothered Grimmjow, but he was likely barren as well. So they found companionship together, not caring if there would never be any cubs to continue for them.

Shiro was off stalking the far end of his territory. Despite being mated, they commonly hunted alone during the spring and summer. Prey was abundant then and separate hunts seemed to bring in more. In autumn and winter they teamed together to bring down larger, more dangerous prey. It was high summer at the moment so Grimmjow was left to deal with this intruder alone. He licked his lips, trying to scent the other on the breeze.

A whiff finally came to him and his ears went back on his head as he lifted his lips away from white teeth in a silent snarl. The scent was _wrong_. Not bad, just… off. It was like nothing he'd ever smelled before and he didn't like it. Grimmjow began stalking the stranger, slipping very carefully through the long grass as the stranger kept going deeper and deeper into his territory.

As he stalked, he examined his prey carefully. He quickly gave him the nickname Orange. His people always inclined towards brilliant colors, when they weren't using their greatest ability… natural camouflage. Right now, Grimmjow's hair and body were a tan with wavering black lines, perfectly adapted to blend into the grass. But the hunting mindset activated it, so Grimmjow couldn't tell if Orange lacked the ability or if he simply wasn't hunting.

Then Grimmjow detected something interesting. There was a small raptor hidden in the brush, waiting for Orange to pass so it could make its move. Raptors could be dangerous to one of his kind if they were foolish and unwary, so it was no surprise that it would try for Orange. He settled back on his heels to watch and see what would happen. If Orange died, then he was unfit to live.

But something unexpected happened as the raptor attacked. Orange turned and in a smooth move, drew a strange item from his belt. The raptor's leap forward was stopped cold as a neat hole was punched in its chest. Grimmjow gaped in shock and awe as the body flopped to the ground, instantly dead.

Grimmjow stared covetously as the man put away the object. A weapon. Like the obsidian spears and arrows he and Shiro used in the winter, it could kill from a distance. Such a thing could make the different between life and death, when they were getting old and feeble with no loyal cubs to bring them a kill or two. And what about Orange? What if there were more of his kind? Grimmjow stalked the stranger more intently, trying to get as close as he could. He would have to do this perfectly or he would never get another chance.

His act of thievery went off wonderfully. He slashed through the tall grass, taking Orange completely by surprise. Sharp claws sliced through leather and tore the weapon away. Grimmjow howled his triumph before he bounced away, squatting on his haunches and examining his prize. It had a hole on one end and what was clearly a spot it was meant to be gripped. Then the blue one looked up as Orange shouted something. The sounds were nonsense, although he could have mimicked them if he wished. But from his body language, Orange was very unhappy. A wicked grin split Grimmjow's face and he flirted his tail at the stranger, leaving a scent marking on the ground before dashing away. Orange tried to follow but he couldn't hope to keep up and Grimmjow laughed to himself.

He couldn't wait to show Shiro his prize.

* * *

"Don't, you'll hurt yourself!" Ichigo said, panicked, as the strange creature examined his gun. "Give it back!" He couldn't start his career on Typhoon by killing a sentient, he just couldn't. And this alien had to be sentient. It was clearly trying to figure out the gun.

He didn't have much time to think about it, though. A long blue tail – hadn't it been tan a moment ago? – lifted into the air and waved playfully. The alien gave him what looked for all the world like a shit eating grin before taking off running. Ichigo tried to follow, but it was hopeless. The thing had put the gun in his mouth and was running on all fours, at a pace he couldn't hope to match. Finally coming to a stop, Ichigo watched him go, breathing hard and severely annoyed.

"Shit." He ran a hand over his face. This was not going to look good in his report to Urahara. And now he would have to stop the rest of his survey. Without a gun to protect him he was horribly vulnerable. Heading back the way he'd came, his foot suddenly stuck on something and Ichigo blinked, glancing down.

It was a blue stone. Or rather, blue gel that was just beginning to solidify. Ichigo's breath caught in his throat as he remembered the alien's appearance. His tail and hair had been blue, after he'd gotten the gun. He hadn't had long to examine it, but he thought that gorgeous long hair had been the exact same shade as the gel.

"Oh… wow." If he was right and the alien was the source of the blue stones, then Urahara would easily forgive him the loss of the gun. Ichigo knelt down and began taking samples of the gel.

He couldn't wait to show this to Urahara.

* * *

"Whatcha got there?" Shiro's lilting tones reached Grimmjow, who looked up with a grin. He was sitting on a large, flat rock outside their den, examining the little weapon he'd stolen from Orange.

He had been very, very careful with it. It had taken a while but he'd figured how to hold it and how to trigger it. The little thing fit neatly in his hand and he almost purred at the thought of the lethality he had just gained.

"A weapon. I stole it from a stranger." He told his mate, who lifted ghostly white brows, confused. "I call him Orange. He smells like something that doesn't belong. Not bad, just foreign. He wears strange coverings… " Grimmjow did his best to describe Orange to Shiro, who listened dubiously. "He killed a raptor with this, just punched a hole in it! So I stole it." He let the pleasure in his theft enter his tone. Alas, Shiro did not feel the same way.

"Ya idiot! Ya coulda been killed. What were ya thinkin'?" Shiro demanded, hitting him on the shoulder. Grimmjow winced in pain. Shiro could hit very, very hard when he chose to. "I don' wanna be alone again!" His voice caught on the end and Grimmjow grimaced.

Shiro was… strange. His eyes were black and gold, like nothing the blue one had ever seen before. And his skin was too hot. One touch of that burning skin indicated that he was sterile, and the other's scent markings also advertised it. Their people lived in very small groups, with only mates and close relatives. No one would mate to Shiro so he'd been driven away from every other group he tried to reach out to. The white man had been near mad with loneliness when he'd finally found his blue mate. Unfortunately, that could make him very overprotective.

"I'm thinking of the future, you damned food." Grimmjow growled. While he might understand the reasons for the protectiveness, he wasn't about to tolerate it. "When we're both old and having trouble hunting in the winter, this little thing could keep us alive." His hands caressed the weapon. "And what about Orange? What if he's not alone, and his sort try something funny? We don't know if they're like us, or the raptors, or the Paganta." Those were the great, hooved creatures that crossed the savannah. They travelled in large groups. "This could keep us safe."

"Or they might seek us out t' get it back!" Shiro retorted, then sighed and suddenly relaxed, sitting down beside Grimmjow. "What's done is done. Show me how this thing works." He demanded and Grimmjow grinned before aiming the thing at a nearby rock. His aim was true and the rock shattered into a thousand pieces. "Ooooh. Let me try!"

"No. We don't know how many arrows this thing has in its quiver." Grimmjow said, pulling the weapon away as Shiro reached for it. His white mate pouted but Grimmjow stayed firm. "We can't use it up."

"Oh, alright." Shiro said gracelessly. "Put that thing away. I wanta mate ya." Grimmjow grinned as he carefully set down the weapon in a corner of the den.

"Who said you're going to mate me?" He said, flirting his tail teasingly. "Maybe I want to mate you." Because of the way they were, that was possible to do and very pleasant. But Shiro's eyes flashed and he pounced on his blue lover, biting the bend of his neck and making him groan.

"Don' want it like that t'night. Wanta mate you." His voice was a dark growl and Grimmjow put up only a token resistance before submitting. He did care deeply for his mate.

If Shiro wanted to feel his insides, that was fine by him.

* * *

Ichigo watched as Urahara looked at the few images he'd captured of the strange creature.

There had been a camera in his clothing, constantly recording whatever he was looking at. So there were a few good images of the being as he examined the pistol. And Ichigo had the leisure now to examine the alien more fully.

It was very interesting. Long, silky blue hair, well groomed yet rough looking fell behind him in a wave. The face caught by the camera was amazingly human like, angular and handsome, with bright blue eyes that seemed full of curiosity. There were green markings beside his eyes, leading to strangely catlike ears. The alien's body was a golden tan, but shaded to black on his animal like feet and nearly human hands. He was wearing absolutely nothing and Ichigo swallowed as he saw the alien appeared to be male. It was hard to say for certain, of course, but that looked like a penis. Then Urahara flipped to the next clear picture, where the creature looked at him with blue eyes and gave him that grin. The eyes seemed full of mischief and everything about his body language said the alien knew he'd gotten the best of the human he was facing.

"We have no conclusive proof here that we're dealing with a sentient." Urahara said firmly and Ichigo's jaw dropped a little. No proof?

"He stole my gun and was trying to figure out how to use it." Ichigo said sharply and Urahara sighed. "Sir?" He said stiffly as the man gave him an understanding smile.

"Ichigo, monkeys will steal things all the time. And while they are fairly high on the intelligence scale, we do not consider them sentient." His tone was regretful and Ichigo felt his jaw tighten. "There's no sign of tools or clothing, both of which are signs of true sentience."

"…Maybe he just likes being nude." Ichigo muttered and Urahara's smile widened a bit.

"That is true. However, more likely he's simply a very clever animal." The man said and tapped his fan against the table for a moment. Then he brightened. "We should trap one and examine it. We could learn a great deal from that."

"Trap a possible sentient?" Ichigo asked, appalled. He'd never heard of that being done before. But Urahara paused, frowning at him.

"Ichigo, I know you're a young xenosociologist." He said gently and Ichigo frowned, wondering what he was getting at. "Everyone wants to find a sentient species. But you can't let that blind you into thinking that everything clever is also sentient. We have nothing yet, no indications of language, clothing or tools. Perhaps I'm wrong and we'll find something. But until we do, they are intelligent animals, no more. So yes, we will trap one."

"…Yes sir." Ichigo mumbled. The idea still bothered him, but he could tell his superior's mind was made up.

There was nothing more he could do.

* * *

Shiro reached down, scratching under the piece of leather he wore around his privates.

His mate preferred to go completely unclothed in the summer, only putting on some furs and buckskin in the winter, when the cold rains came and made the land a wet, miserable place. But Shiro came from a different family with different traditions. He habitually wore a bit of concealing leather, laced up roughly on the sides.

In general, he took better care of his appearance than Grimmjow. His hair was tied back into a ponytail, and he had fashioned several bracelets of bone and wood, which jangled as he walked. When he hunted in earnest he just pushed them further up his arm, silencing them easily. He also wore a necklace with a single flint arrowhead strung on it. It was a souvenir, taken from a wound that could have ended his life. An injury that had brought him to Grimmjow in the first place.

Shaking aside thoughts of the past, Shiro sniffed the air and licked his lips. He smelled a kill nearby, and it was reasonably fresh. He was more than willing to scavenge something, although he wouldn't bring a stripped carcass back for Grimmjow. There likely wouldn't be enough meat to bother.

He wasn't correct about that. To his surprise, the carcass was a raptor. Shiro paused, examining the creature. Its scaly skin was a rippling pattern, almost as good for camouflage as Shiro's hierro. This one looked to have been in good condition when it died. What had killed it?

Shiro hesitated a long moment, eyes darting around warily. Sometimes predators would use a fresh kill to lure in scavengers and get two for the price of one. But the only predator he could think of strong enough to use a raptor that way was a tikishu, and he hadn't seen one of those since he was a child. They belonged in the rainforests, far to the south.

"Maybe it was old?" Shiro mumbled to himself. His great aunt had never mated, remaining with his family. She'd died at quite an old age of no obvious cause. "Hn." Shrugging to himself, he slid through the grass until he reached the dead body. Resting a hand on the creature's haunch, he was about to bite in when the sight of a hole in its chest arrested him. He hadn't been able to see it before, the angle had been wrong, but now he could.

"Shit!" Shiro snarled before leaping away. Or rather, trying to. Bars of some strange material suddenly unfolded from the ground, caging him in. He struggled against them, trying with all his might to escape, but could not. They were too strong. His wail of distress rose loud and clear as strangers began to appear. How had they concealed their smell from him? Shiro didn't know, but he hoped Grimmjow was close enough to hear his call.

If not, he was doomed.

* * *

Ichigo grimaced as he watched the terrified creature inside the cage trying futiley to escape. It was making loud, oddly lilting sounds. Despite the lyrical tone, they adequately expressed its fear.

Ichigo was absolutely convinced they were dealing with sentients, but absolutely no one agreed with him. He knew why now, though. Apparently it was a very common thing for a young xenosociologist to see sentience everywhere. Ichigo hated it but not even Renji backed him up. He would have to find some real proof before anyone would listen to him.

"Oh dear, it might hurt itself. Soifon, you have the sedative?" Urahara asked and the leader of their security detachment, a captain in the military, nodded sharply.

"Yes, I do." She didn't bother with any honorifics with Urahara, since he habitually omitted her rank. The scientist didn't the least bit care, just waving his fan with a smile.

"Excellent! I think we should – " That was as far as he got before there was a flash of blue. Ichigo flinched as it landed on the top of the cage and roared. The sound was so loud it was almost physically painful and Ichigo could see what the alien was holding.

"He's got a gun!" He shouted as the alien pointed the weapon at a stunned Urahara. Soifon grabbed Kisuke with a speed Ichigo could only envy, yanking him back as everyone scattered, seeking cover in the grass.

"But it's only an animal…" He protested as Soifon carefully peeked out of the grass. Ichigo knelt beside them and winced as he heard the snap of a gun going off. But there was no scream of pain, so hopefully the alien had missed whatever he was aiming at.

"He's holding the gun correctly." Soifon said in a tight, controlled voice as she pulled out her radio. Ichigo ignored her as she began rattling off orders. He couldn't understand the military slang, anyway. Instead he watched as the blue alien reached his empty hand through the bars below him, even as he held the gun steady on his enemies. The white alien within leaped up, trying to touch his hand.

"He wants his friend." He said. "Soifon, is there any way to deactivate the cage remotely?" Soifon shook her head as Urahara frowned. "…I'll go out there and deactivate it." It would be dangerous, but he had to do it. If this standoff continued the alien was going to be shot.

"No, you can't!" Kisuke tried to grab his arm but Ichigo avoided him before he stepped out of the grass. The gun in the alien's hand immediately snapped onto him but he held up his hands, meeting blue eyes calmly. There was a very tense moment before he took a slow step forward. The alien tensed but didn't react otherwise, and Ichigo took another step.

It was nerve wracking, but he walked up to the cage and knelt, looking for the deactivation switch. He found it and hit the button. There was a yelp from above as the cage unfolded and the blue alien had to leap away. The white one immediately bolted, his hair flying behind him like a stream of silk. They both vanished into the grass just as the sound of several gunshots rang out. Ichigo's eyes went wide as he looked behind him, trying to locate the shooter. Soifon's voice rose angrily as Ichigo bit his lip.

He could only hope the aliens had gotten safely away.


	2. Making Friends

Shiro whimpered deep in his throat as he helped a stumbling Grimmjow enter the den.

He'd been so relieved when his mate arrived with the weapon he'd stolen. When the orange one had opened the cage, he'd thought they were both going to make it away. They should have been safe.

But life wasn't fair and a blind shot had taken his mate as they ran. Shiro had felt him stumble but they'd both been too busy running, so he hadn't realized how bad it was. When they'd both felt they were far enough away, Grimmjow had collapsed, panting, and Shiro had gotten a chance to examine the wound.

It was bad. A small hole in his lower back, the position told him that something had gone into his vitals. There was a matching hole in the front, so whatever it was had passed through, but Grimmjow had lost a lot of blood. And worse, it was an abdominal wound. Shiro knew from bitter experience that wound fever haunted injuries like that. He had no idea what caused the wound fever, although his great aunt had claimed that evil spirits were drawn to wounds and made them putrefy. She'd also claimed that fire could drive the spirits away, if it was applied to the wounded area. But that would not help him here. The wounded area was inside Grimmjow, more than outside. How could he apply fire within his gut?

"Hey, don't look at me like that. I'm strong, I'll be fine." Grimmjow gave him a grin but Shiro could only shake his head. "Shit, you made it last time! Stop looking at me like that."

"The arrow didn't go through me!" He snapped back then bit his lip as Grimmjow looked away. His mate was trying to keep up a brave front, but he knew how bad it was. "I'm sorry. Here, have something to drink." Shiro fetched a carved wooden bowl, filling it with water from a carved stone urn. Grimmjow had made it last winter, when they were both bored and tired of the cold rains. It was soft stone, and he'd made it by rubbing the stone until it flaked. Shiro paused for a moment, looking at the upraised carvings he'd managed to work into the surface. Would he never make another one?

Swallowing the painful thought, Shiro brought him the bowl of water. Grimmjow drank some then used the rest on the front of his wound, cleaning it as best he could. Shiro fetched more than had him lie on his stomach so he could clean the back. But depending on what had been pierced inside, all their care might not matter. That night Shiro curled tightly around Grimmjow, but he couldn't sleep.

He'd suffered too much loss in his life. He knew he could lose his mate, too.

* * *

Shiro sniffed quietly as he took the urn to the river.

It was not a short trip. The river formed a natural boundary between their territory and the Green one's. It wasn't particularly deep but it was fast moving. Shiro had swam it, once, although that had not been voluntarily. And he'd done it with an arrow in his gut, which had been impressive but something he never, ever wanted to do again. If Grimmjow hadn't come to his rescue he would certainly have died.

Kneeling down on the river bank, Shiro took a deep drink of the cool, crisp water before refilling the urn. Grimmjow would need it and probably more besides. Then he set the urn aside and pulled out a leather bag he had tied to his clothing.

Normally, he and Grimmjow were largely carnivorous. Meat was a better food for them, especially the fattiest bits like the brain and tongue. They fished, either with hooks and lines made of sinew or just with their hands. But they could and did eat vegetables and fruits. In fact, when Shiro had lived in the rainforest fruit had been a dietary staple. Now it was rare and seasonal, but edible vegetables could still be found.

He knew that wild tubers often grew on the banks of the river and some searching yielded up a double handful. Some of them were the mild sort that required cooking in damp leaves, stuffed into the coals of the fire. The others were a variety that could be eaten raw but were pungent enough to make his eyes water. Shiro stuffed them away in his bag before going back to the urn, lifting it up and carrying it back to the den.

When he got back to his home, Shiro got a very unpleasant surprise. He was constantly alert, so he instantly noticed the unfamiliar tracks leading into the den. Lips lifting in a silent snarl, he carefully set down the urn and dropped the bag of tubers beside it. The scent hit him as he stepped into the den and his silent snarl turned audible as he saw the form bending over his mate. There was a startled movement, a head lifting up just before Shiro pounced.

There was a scream and Shiro was on top of the stranger, his claws firmly against his throat. Wide brown eyes stared up into black and gold and in that moment, Shiro almost killed him. His rage at the people who had injured his mate made him snarl, baring his sharp white fangs.

But the sight of orange hair, spiky and short, stayed his hand. Most of the strangers he'd seen had boring mud colors for hair, nothing like his people had, but this one was different. This was the one Grimmjow had stolen from, the one who had dared to walk out with his mate pointing a weapon at him. The one who had freed him from the cage. Despair suddenly washed over him and Shiro's snarl tapered off into an odd little whimper. What would killing this one accomplish? Grimmjow would still be dying. So instead of opening his throat, Shiro shoved him away before going to his mate's side. He was sleeping or unconscious and Shiro gently checked him for further injuries, feeling the too hot skin beneath his palms. Grimmjow didn't stir and Shiro let out a soft, lilting sound of grief.

He didn't think his mate would wake up again.

* * *

Ichigo stayed frozen on the floor for a moment, ignoring Urahara's urgent messages through his earbug.

The white alien was bending over his friend, clearly checking to make sure that he hadn't hurt him. Ichigo swallowed as he heard a soft, poignant sound from the white one. He'd been cautioned many times in class about humanizing extraterrestrials but he was still absolutely certain that that sound was grief.

_Ichigo, get out of there!_ He blinked as he realized Urahara was having a mini-panic attack. Then he scowled.

"Calm down. He could have killed me but he didn't." Ichigo muttered before pushing himself to his feet. The alien ignored him so he slowly, carefully walked towards the entrance to the cave, keeping his eye on the creature. It was a relief when he got outside, but his eye immediately fell on a stone jar that had been placed close to the entrance. Kneeling down, Ichigo saw it was full of water. Tilting it slightly, he let the video camera get a good view of the roughly carved surface. _Not sentient my ass._ He thought but didn't say. The carvings would say it for him.

_Ichigo, what are you doing? Ichigo?_ Urahara said as he picked up the urn, grunting at the weight. The creature had to be immensely strong to carry this thing. _Ichigo, return immediately!_

"I am the xenosociologist on this expedition and I'll return when I'm ready." Ichigo said mulishly. He knew it was a bit foolish – Urahara was older and far more advanced in his career – but he was tired of people not taking him seriously. And he was the xenosociologist, so he technically had the right to take over the study of any intelligent life. Carrying the urn, he went back into the cave. The white creature looked up suspiciously, black and gold eyes wary. But then he saw the jar and tipped his head in an odd, almost birdlike gesture. Ichigo brought it to his side, conscious of the alien watching him carefully. When he set the jar down the alien scooped out a handful of water, dribbling it over the fallen one's face. "Urahara, do we have any antibiotics that will work on native lifeforms?" He'd only started examining the blue one when the white one had interrupted, but he was pretty sure he knew what was wrong.

_We have a few, but they're still experimental. He might have an allergic reaction._ Urahara sounded worried, although Ichigo doubted it was really concern for the alien. _Ichigo, we're not supposed to interfere with other sentient species like this._

"We're not supposed to shoot them, either." Ichigo said crabbily, although he was slightly pleased that Urahara had used the word 'sentient'. "Soifon, can one of your men please bring me the antibiotics we have that would work on him and a medical kit?"

_Yes. It may take some time for him to arrive, and it might be wise for you to meet him outside._ She cautioned and Ichigo nodded. The white creature might have allowed him in the den but he wasn't sure how he would react to someone else. Frankly, he was surprised the alien hadn't killed him.

He went to wait outside, the white alien watching him warily. Those eyes were the strangest things he'd ever seen, and Ichigo wondered what had made his sclera black. He remembered that the blue one's eyes hadn't been like that at all.

Soifon's soldier, a young woman, soon arrived with the medical kit and antibiotics. He thanked her quietly and she gave him a small smile before leaving. Ichigo was glad that he didn't have to convince her to go. The situation was too delicate to risk introducing anyone new. He wasn't going to admit it to Urahara but he was quite concerned about his own safety. How would the white creature react when he had to stick his friend with needles?

Squaring his shoulders, Ichigo returned to the cave. Black and gold eyes immediately fixed on him and Ichigo saw that the white alien had moved. Now, he was sitting with the blue one's head in his lap, running his fingers through the heavy strands. To his vague surprise, he saw the claws he'd used earlier were fully retractable. Filing that oddity away for later, Ichigo knelt beside the blue alien and opened the little bag with the antibiotics. Swallowing, he hoped they wouldn't provoke a violent allergic reaction. If they did, he was sure the white one would kill him.

"I'm trying to help him." He said reassuringly to the alien, although he knew the other sentient wouldn't understand. But hopefully the tone would get through. "Urahara? Should I go for intramuscular or for a vein?"

_Intramuscular. I don't think trying to find a vein would be a good idea with that other one staring at you. _Urahara sounded quite nervous, probably at the thought of what he'd have to write on his report if Ichigo got killed. The redhead nodded and decided to inject the alien in his thigh. That would have to be good enough for now.

There was a soft protesting sound from the white alien, but nothing more as he stuck in the needle and hit the plunger. Ichigo did know how to give injections, so he wasn't worried about his own competence. With that done he checked his medical kit and found some disinfectant. Biting his lip at the smell, he began cleaning off the wound. Then he glanced up as the white alien made a sound that sounded very much like speech.

_I think he just said something. They have a spoken language?_ Ichigo ignored that, looking at the white alien questioningly. The creature hesitated before gripping the blue one's shoulders and making a motion as if he was going to turn him over.

"Oh, I see." Ichigo understood then. There was a wound in his back, too. "One moment." He quickly finished the cleaning and put a gauze bandage over the wound. Then they flipped the blue alien onto his stomach and Ichigo nodded as he saw the second wound. It was actually a good thing. Most bullets did their damage by expanding inside soft tissue, but someone had likely been using an armor piercing round. There would still be quite a bit of damage but it was less than it could have been. He cleaned out the second wound before bandaging that as well, and together they flipped the blue alien back onto his back.

The next few days, Ichigo stayed in the cave. Something about him had inclined the white alien to accept him, and he took advantage of that, doing what he could to treat his companion. The fever soared and he got ice packs from the expedition, using them to help lower his temperature. The blue alien didn't wake up and they couldn't get him to drink, so with a lot of instruction over the radio Ichigo set up an IV drip. Convincing the white alien to let him took more effort than the medical work. He gave the man daily injections and while the antibiotics seemed to help, he wasn't sure it would be enough. The white alien continued to gather food, mostly edible plants. He even offered some to Ichigo who politely declined them. He was getting supplied with MRE's and wasn't going to take chances with alien biochemistry.

On the fourth day Ichigo woke to a soft, rumbling voice and the lilting tones of the white alien. Pulling himself out of his sleeping bag he saw that the blue alien was awake and speaking. A triumphant smile crossed his face. Then the blue alien looked at him and Ichigo's breath caught in his throat as he gazed into brilliant blue eyes.

Unlike the white alien, who had always looked at him with wariness and suspicion, the blue one's eyes were still full of lively curiosity. He tried to push himself up which made the white alien emit an ear piercing screech. Ichigo winced and saw the blue alien doing the same, his ears folding flat to his skull. The white alien tried to push him down but the blue wasn't having any of it. Ichigo could see a fight brewing and spoke hastily.

"I'll come over there." He could tell the blue alien wanted to get to him. Pushing himself to his feet, he quickly went to the alien's side, sitting down cross legged beside him. "Ichigo." He said, pressing a hand to his chest. He hadn't really tried to introduce himself before, mostly because of how preoccupied the white alien had been with his friend. This seemed like the ideal moment.

Both the aliens stared at him for a moment, laying their ears back, and he wondered if he'd just done something wrong. They spoke back and forth to each other for a moment, having some kind of discussion. Ichigo just waited until the blue one put a hand on his chest and gave him that familiar, toothy grin.

"Grimmjow." He said and Ichigo repeated it with a smile. Then they both looked at the white alien who huffed and finally put a hand against his chest.

"Shiro." He said shortly and Ichigo repeated that, too. That made the blue alien grin wider, if it was possible.

"Ichigo." The purring way the blue alien uttered his name made him blush slightly, then shake his head. He had to be careful not to humanize these creatures too much. But if a human had said his name like that, he'd have thought they were flirting with him. Putting that silly thought out of mind, he began disconnecting the IV and checking over the wound. It was still ugly but the infection was clearly dying away. He would have to give the alien regular injections for a while, though, to insure that it didn't come back.

Ichigo was so absorbed in what he was doing that he failed to notice fascinated blue eyes following him, or the scowl on Shiro's face.

* * *

"He gave us his name." Shiro muttered into Grimmjow's hair, watching the stranger… Ichigo… with growing dislike. Grimmjow shrugged slightly, a tiny movement.

"Maybe it's different for him." He pointed out and Shiro's scowl deepened. The common belief was that giving someone your name gave them power over you, so most of their people would never give it on a first meeting. Having someone else offer it immediately created an uncomfortable situation. But his trusting and slightly stupid mate had just given his name back without a second thought.

"Stop looking at him like that. I don' like it." He growled, seeing the way Grimmjow's eyes were following Ichigo. There was a rough chuckle and Shiro yelped as a big hand gripped his hair, yanking him close.

"You're jealous. That's sweet." Grimmjow purred, making a light blush cross Shiro's cheeks. "And now you're blushing. You look so pretty like that." His purr turned into a soft, sultry growl and Shiro yelped again as his hair was yanked, baring his throat so sharp teeth could delicately nibble the soft skin. Shiro was about to turn the tables on his mate before he remembered the wound.

"Ya bastard! I can't give you what you deserve – augh, stop!" He whined as Grimmjow took shameless advantage of the situation, giving him playful love nips and sharper bites. "Gonna kill you!" He threatened and the hand in his hair finally loosened, letting him go. Shiro pulled back with a huff, seeing Grimmjow's wicked grin. "I should slap that look right off your face." He said grumpily before glancing at Orange… Ichigo. The stranger was watching them, wide-eyed. "And what're you lookin' at?" He said with a snarl and was pleased as Ichigo swallowed and moved away from him.

"Stop that." Grimmjow sounded irritated, now, and Shiro glanced at him to see he was scowling. "Stop being so jealous. I wouldn't mate him without you, anyway." He said and Shiro blinked. Mating together with a third? He'd never even considered that possibility. Of course, he wasn't even sure if the stranger had the same sort of sex they did. That thought reassured him slightly and he relaxed before giving Grimmjow a sneer.

"Doubt he'd want to mate with your ugly ass." He said and Grimmjow laid back his ears, looking hurt. Shiro went to the fire, digging out one of the tubers he'd put there. They would be nice and cooked now. "You hungry?"

"Starving!" He exclaimed and Shiro grinned, carefully splitting the tuber open to reveal the soft, gently steaming interior. Then he began to feed it to his mate, using his claws to avoid burning himself on the hot food. "Hey, I can feed myself you know." Grimmjow complained and Shiro's grin widened.

"But what if I want t'feed ya?" He said teasingly before giving Grimmjow another bit of the hot tuber. His mate gave him an annoyed look before submitting, nipping the food off the end of his claws before running his tongue over the sharp talons, catching the crumbs clinging there. "Oi, careful!"

"They ain't that sharp." He said and Shiro growled, although he was right. His claws were not nearly as sharp as the blade of an obsidian knife, but they didn't need to be. They both glanced up as Ichigo left the den. "Wonder if he'll be back?" Grimmjow sounded a little disappointed and Shiro sighed to himself. He could tell his mate was taken with the stranger even if Grimmjow didn't realize it yet.

"Just shut up and eat. I need to go hunt us down some meat." He was beginning to feel starved for it. But he hadn't wanted to leave Grimmjow's side and in the summer the tubers were plentiful. Grimmjow nodded, taking another mouthful from his claws. Shiro was sure his mate could use some meat, too, but that would be for later. After several days with no food the tubers would be easy on his stomach.

They could worry about meat some other time.


	3. Jealousy and Love

"This is amazing material Ichigo." Urahara complimented him and Ichigo felt warmed at the praise. He grinned when he saw Renji giving him a thumbs up over Urahara's left shoulder.

His triumphs had managed to wash away any stain from his disobedience. He'd managed to save the life of the sentient they had injured and also had been at least provisionally accepted by the same sentients. He'd made records of their den that included well fashioned spears, bows and arrows as well as things like the stone urn. He had records of their voices and patterns that were almost certainly a language. But there was still more to be done.

"I'm requesting permission to do a full immersion, sir." Ichigo said politely. The truth was, he was demanding it. This was the normal protocol for when friendly relations were achieved with an alien race. Urahara looked a bit pensive for a moment.

"I can see the blue alien, Grimmjow, seems quite taken with you. But the white one definitely isn't. Are you sure you'll be safe?" He asked and Ichigo thought about it hard for a moment. Shiro was very standoffish, most of the time, but the dynamics between him and Grimmjow were interesting. He thought the blue alien had the white one wrapped neatly around his little finger.

"I don't think it will be a problem. I doubt Shiro would want to anger Grimmjow by hurting me." He said, then smiled. "And Shiro doesn't really dislike me. He was just afraid for his mate." The bit of observation at the end had led him to conclude they were likely lovers, not friends or family. He could be wrong, of course – they were extraterrestrials – but what Grimmjow had done to Shiro had looked sexual. Immersion would clear up any misconceptions.

"Very well, you're the xenosociologist of the group. Make sure you get all the gear you need together and you can begin tomorrow." That was a dismissal and Ichigo bowed slightly before leaving. He was taking care to be very respectful at the moment, a silent apology for his earlier disobedience. Renji caught up with him when he was heading for the mess hall to get some properly cooked food.

"A full immersion? Do you think you're ready for that?" He questioned and Ichigo glanced at him, a touch surprised. "I've heard it can be difficult."

"It's what I've been training for." He replied as he opened the dark green tent flap, going into the mess hall. It was a very spartan place, just a bunch of cafeteria tables and chairs, but the food was good and hot. Meant to keep well for all the people keeping irregular hours, it was a simple stew with packaged loaves of the kelp bread they made on Hallelujah. Ichigo wasn't too fond of it but it stored well. Taking a bowl he quickly found a spot at one of the tables. Renji grabbed a loaf of the bread and followed him.

"Usually there's more than one person doing it, though." He pointed out and Ichigo frowned.

"Usually there's a larger group of aliens. I don't think these two would want to be outnumbered." He pointed out and Renji frowned before nodding. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." And he did. This really was what he'd been training to do for years.

Full immersion was the simplest way to learn an alien language and culture. It involved befriending a group of natives and then living with them, learning their language and culture by experiencing it directly. Even very difficult languages could be learned that way, as one of the previous teams had demonstrated. One of the alien species they'd met had a very abstract tonal language. Without a full immersion it was hard to say if they would ever have been able to comprehend it.

Ichigo didn't think his task would be that hard though. That species had been hard to understand in general. It might be wishful thinking, but Ichigo thought that Grimmjow and Shiro had very human like emotions and reactions. There would certainly be differences but he doubted they would be as alien to him as that other race.

After he was done his food, Ichigo began putting together everything he would need for an extended field trip. That included a sleeping bag, a pack with changes of clothing, an entire crate of food… he was just glad the den was large. He wondered what the two aliens would make of his return with so much stuff. Hopefully they wouldn't run him off. Then Ichigo grinned to himself.

He had a few bribes, just in case.

* * *

Grimmjow was slowly and carefully moving around when Orange came back.

He lifted his tail and flicked his ears in pleasure as he entered the den. Then he blinked at the amount of stuff Orange… Ichigo had with him. He had a huge bag on his back and there was a little thing rolling behind him with a box on top. He was pulling it with a rope, and Grimmjow made note of that idea. Although he wasn't sure where he would ever want to use it.

"You planning to stay?" He asked, wondering how irritated Shiro would be. Ichigo just gave him a smile before saying something incomprehensible. "Well, it's okay by me." He liked the stranger and thought he was fascinating. The coverings he wore, for instance. Grimmjow had never seen anything like them. His people did some crude weaving of plant fibers but how could anyone manage something so fine?

So Grimmjow just sat back and watched as Ichigo put his box in a corner of the den, then began putting away his other things. One of the things he pulled out was the familiar kit, the one that contained the needle that Grimmjow was growing to hate. Putting his ears back he started to edge away. Then Orange took a step towards him and he bolted for the exit. He didn't want to be stuck with that thing again!

Unfortunately, Shiro chose that moment to make an appearance. Caught by surprise, Grimmjow ran right into his pale mate and they went down in a tangle of limbs, landing on the kill Shiro had been dragging home. Grimmjow tried to get free but a confused Shiro held onto him and he yelped as a hand grabbed his buttock before jabbing it with a needle. There was a wavering laugh from his white mate and Grimmjow hissed, squirming as the needle was withdrawn.

"Oi, take it like a man." Shiro teased as Grimmjow got off him and bent himself around, trying to reach his butt to lick the small wound. "I really don't think even you can reach that far."

"Shut up." Grimmjow muttered as he contorted his spine, finally managing to lick his minor injury. Shiro just shook his head and gripped the leg of his kill, dragging it into the cave and ignoring Ichigo. Then he pulled up short as he saw the stuff Orange had brought with him.

"What's all this then? Does he think he's staying?" Shiro said, hissing slightly with displeasure. That made Grimmjow grin.

"I think he does." He said playfully and Shiro gave him a hard look before transferring it to Ichigo. The stranger began rooting through his bag, looking for something. "Why not?" Although there were plenty of reasons why not. Their people rarely accepted strangers readily. Grimmjow was an exception in that, enjoying meeting new people. His family had been more social than most, too, numbering almost fifty at their height. "He brings his own food, so it's not like we'll have to feed him."

"I don' like it. What's he want with us? Why'd his people try to trap me?" Shiro muttered and Grimmjow shrugged. "Why'd… what's this?" He said, flicking his ears in surprise as Ichigo offered him something. Shiro gave him a suspicious look before accepting the little package. The contents were held in an odd, strangely textured pouch. It didn't take him long to figure out how to open it though and when he did, beautiful things spilled into his hands. "Oh!" White ears went forward and Shiro's tail flicked up as he realized what he was holding. "Beads! Grimmjow, look!"

"Oh, joy. Hair ornaments for you." Grimmjow said, bored, and Shiro aimed a kick at him. His blue mate avoided it easily and grinned. "He knows how to suck up to you, hey?"

"Oh shut it." Shiro grumbled, but he knew Grimmjow was right. He liked to look good. "Will you wear one for me?" He asked, a bit wistfully. He liked making things to wear, jewelry and such, but Grimmjow usually wouldn't touch his creations.

"Ah… okay. You can make me a bracelet. Aren't you gonna say thank you to him?" Grimmjow pointed out and Shiro growled before looking at Ichigo. The stranger was watching them with a worried expression.

"Thank you." He said as nicely as he could. The beads really were lovely, all colors of the rainbow and very shiny. Ichigo smiled at him, understanding the sentiment if not the words. He pointed at the beads in Shiro's hands and said a few words. That puzzled the two aliens for a moment, but as he pointed again Grimmjow figured it out.

"He wants to know what we call 'em." He said to Shiro, then pointed at the beads himself. "Beads." Ichigo smiled and repeated the word. Then he picked up a rock and looked quizzically at Grimmjow. "Rock."

"Oi, you two can play around. I'm gonna skin this thing and get it in the fire." Shiro said and Grimmjow nodded. While they could eat their food raw and often did, they also liked it cooked, especially the tougher bits. Shiro pushed a bit of fresh liver into his hands and Grimmjow ate it raw as he continued tutoring Ichigo on their language. If they could eventually talk to the stranger, really talk, he might find out what they were doing here.

He was really quite curious about that.

* * *

Ichigo examined the blade Grimmjow had given him, fascinated.

It was an obsidian knife and cruelly sharp. The workmanship was very fine and it had been carefully attached to a handle of carved horn. The carvings were crude representations of birds taking flight. They had been burned into the horn, probably with a piece of hot obsidian. It was really a beautiful piece of primitive craftsmanship.

Something about it bothered him, though. It took him a long moment to figure out what, but then he blinked. Obsidian was a volcanic rock, and while he was no geologist he didn't think there was a source nearby. Reaching for his earbug he gave the signal that meant he wanted attention.

_Hey Ichigo! What is it?_ Ichigo smiled at the sound of Renji's voice. His friend must have pulled monitoring duty.

"Could you find out for me where the nearest source of obsidian is?" This could be a sign of trading or… it could be a sign that Grimmjow and Shiro had come from somewhere else. Ichigo was betting on the latter. He'd been going through the midden and he'd noticed it wasn't too deep, not like he would expect with long term occupancy. Although he tried not to sort through the garbage while Shiro and Grimmjow were around. His rudimentary vocabulary wasn't up to explaining why he was fascinated by trash.

He'd been living with the aliens for only a month, and he'd actually made very good progress with the language. It was relatively straightforward with simple rules, but it was also flexible enough to allow for abstract concepts. Ichigo was rather pleased with it. The other Stone Age culture they'd encountered had only had a rudimentary language, nothing like the tongue these aliens had.

He was also learning a bit about them. The two aliens were quite different. Shiro was dead white everywhere except his hands, feet and his ears. His hands and feet were shaded the same way Grimmjow's were, and he had similar black facial markings that led to black ears. The fluff inside them was a beautiful golden color that matched his eyes. Shiro always wore clothing and seemed to love adorning himself, something Grimmjow disdained. Shiro was far more introverted than Grimmjow, speaking freely to his mate but hardly saying two words to Ichigo.

There were some very interesting personal dynamics going on, and Ichigo suspected he was the cause of them. Shiro sometimes wanted to be alone and Grimmjow would cheerfully go to spend time with the orange haired xenosociologist, telling him the names of things and letting him try out his fledgling language skills. However, whenever they were doing that Shiro seemed to lose interest in being alone and kept shooting them sharp glances until he couldn't stand it anymore. Then the white alien would come join them, bringing whatever he was working on with him. Grimmjow didn't say anything when that happened but Ichigo had caught him smirking once or twice.

_Hey Ichigo!_ Ichigo blinked, coming out of his reverie as Renji came back on the line. _I checked with the geological team and they think the nearest source of obsidian would be in the rainforest. It's damn near uninhabitable, though. Other than that would be nearly a thousand miles away. Why?_

"They have obsidian knives and spearheads. I'm wondering where they came from." Ichigo said thoughtfully. "This could be evidence of trading between groups." If so, that indicated they were more advanced than had been suspected. "Or they might have travelled here recently from the rainforest." That made him wonder. The initial survey had said the tropical storms weren't too bad, which had influenced the first team's decision to land in the rainforest. Were these fierce storms a recent thing?

_Really? That would be interesting. You'll have to ask them when you can._ Renji said and Ichigo nodded ruefully. It was time to go back to working on the language.

When he could ask them more complicated questions, he might get some interesting answers.

* * *

Several months later.

"Stupid Grimmjow." Shiro muttered as he worked at setting up the wood and leather contraption he and Grimmjow used to smoke meat with. They'd figured out how to do that several years ago, when they were struggling to survive the hard winters. "He could be helping me but noooo, too busy flirting with stupid Orange…" Shiro knew he was being grossly unfair. He hadn't told Grimmjow he was setting up the tent and his mate was hardly sitting around idle. He was busy turning a hide into buckskin and demonstrating the process to Ichigo.

But he couldn't help but be angry. He felt like he was losing his mate bit by bit. He might have liked Ichigo, if it hadn't been for that.

He was pounding the last piece of wood in place when he heard soft footsteps behind him. Shiro whirled around with a snarl that quickly tapered off as he saw a startled Orange. Huffing indignantly, he turned back to his work. Once the wooden frame was in he would layer the animal hides over it. Inside, he would light a fire, a very smoky fire, and use it to preserve thin strips of meat.

"What is it?" Came a question and Shiro looked up to see Ichigo tapping the framework.

"No name." Shiro said shortly, as he began putting on the leather. Ichigo gave him a puzzled look and he grimaced, realizing more was required. "Our idea. Trying to make meat last all winter." In the rainforest, preservation hadn't been an issue. There had always been plentiful fruits to eat. Orange fell silent then, just watching him work. Then he lightly touched Shiro on the shoulder, making him look up with a frown.

"It is a teepee." Ichigo said and Shiro blinked, his ears tilting back.

"Your people have them?" He questioned and the other nodded. "Okay. Teepee." That word sounded kind of nice. They could steal it, since they hadn't come up with anything.

"Shiro? When you… when did you come here?" Ichigo asked, brown eyes curious, and Shiro tried to think. How long ago had it been when he met Grimmjow?

"Six years ago." He finally said. It hadn't really been very long. His people could live to over a hundred if they survived infancy and didn't do anything stupid. "Grimmjow had been here three years before that." He added because he was sure that would be Orange's next question. "Go get me some fire." He pointed to the cave. If Ichigo was going to bother him, he could be useful. He and Grimmjow kept the fire in the cave constantly going because starting a new one was a pain. Ichigo blinked and nodded as Shiro began laying out the thinly sliced meat on the wooden frame inside.

By the time Orange came back with a flaming brand, he was ready for it. Shiro made sure the fire was well and truly caught before flipping the hides shut, trapping the smoke in. It drifted out of the top of the teepee, but that was fine. If it didn't have some escape it tended to set the whole thing on fire, something they'd figured out the hard way.

"Where were you before? Why did you come here?" Ichigo asked and Shiro winced, his ears tilting back. It wasn't really the stranger's fault but he was touching a painful wound.

"The rainforest. It was like the gods went crazy." Shiro said, deciding it was best that he explain. Grimmjow would probably cry if he had to. His family had been large and loving, while Shiro's had been more distant despite being smaller. "The rain came down so hard. Th' first year Grimmjow's family made it but the second the rain was even worse and they was washed away. Grimmjow might be the only one t' make it." He said emotionlessly as Ichigo swallowed. "He left, trying t' get away from the storms. My family was different… we had some high ground, it seemed safer from the storms. An' we'd lived in the rainforest forever, we didn' wanna leave. But finally the ground gave way and buried us. I was the only one t' live." He knew that for a fact. He'd gotten lucky and managed to cling to a tree that remained standing, watching as his relatives were swept away in the torrent of mud. "So I left too. Everyone's like that. This is new land for us." As far as Shiro knew, no one had ever left the rainforest until now. Why would they have? The rainforest had been glorious, full of everything they needed for an easy life. Living up here meant adjusting themselves, thinking of new ways to do things, but they were clever. They would survive.

"Oh, I see." Ichigo's voice sounded muted but Shiro ignored it, heading back to the cave.

"I've got the teepee up." He said without thinking and Grimmjow gave him a puzzled look. He was still scraping the hair and flesh off the hide, a process that always took a while. "The smoke thing. That's what Orange calls it."

"Really?" Grimmjow's ears flicked forward in interest as he looked at Ichigo. Shiro couldn't help the sharp pain he felt at the bright interest in those blue eyes. "Hey Ichigo, could you teach us things?" He said and Shiro felt his jealousy flair. He choked on bitter words, holding them back with all his will. But he couldn't help but shoot Ichigo a venomous glance before storming out of the den. He was aware of two sets of eyes following him, but right now he didn't care.

He hated them both.

* * *

"Is he okay?" Ichigo asked, watching Shiro go with worried eyes. Grimmjow frowned, setting aside the bone he'd been using the scrape the hide and standing up.

"No. I'll go talk to him." Grimmjow wasn't entirely sure what he would say, though.

He knew what Shiro's problem was, sort of. Shiro had always had a rather hard life in many ways. His family hadn't been cruel to him but they hadn't particularly liked him either. He'd even overheard some of them talking about driving him off. But his parents had cared and the pale man hadn't actually been a drain on the families' resources, so he'd been allowed to stay.

Until they all died. Then Shiro had been cast adrift in an uncaring world and he'd found that indifference was much better than harsh rejection. The female refugees had no use for a mate that could not sire cubs, and the male ones had no use for him at all. If any of the groups had been settled, it might have been different. A settled family might take a chance on a stranger, even one who couldn't reproduce. But with everything unsettled other instincts came to the fore and Shiro had been driven away again and again. The Green one had given him the harshest rejection, an arrow in the gut, but he hadn't been the first to use violence.

Grimmjow had had it much easier. He'd gone out pretty much on the first wave of refugees, and no one had established territories. So the others he'd passed had simply avoided him, rather than defending their land from the intruder. He'd settled here before the Green one had come, and had actually established a friendly relationship with him. They'd even mated a few times. The Green one already had a mate, but it was possible to have two or even three if a male could provide for them. If Grimmjow had been lucky enough to have a cub, they probably would have combined dens and Green's other mate, a proper female, could have helped nurse his child.

Shiro knew all about that hopeful dream, and now Ichigo was on the scene. Grimmjow sighed to himself as he searched for his mate. Then his ears went back as he finally spotted him. Shiro was sitting on a rock, his legs pulled tightly to his chest as he rocked back and forth. His mate could be prickly as a pinfruit but it still hurt Grimmjow to see him like this.

"Shiro." He said softly, kneeling beside his mate. Shiro didn't seem to realize he was there. "Shiro." He gently put an arm around the other and Shiro's head jerked up, eyes wide and startled before he tried to pull away with a snarl.

"I don't need yer pity – uff!" Shiro gasped as he was punched in the ribs, hard. Then Grimmjow pulled him close, forcing the white man against his chest. "Leggo! Ow! Grimm!"

"No." He said calmly, just holding Shiro until his curses turned into soft, pained whimpers. "What's wrong, Shiro? Tell me what's wrong." He said softly, resting a kiss on that ashen brow. His mate's beautiful face was pinched with pain.

"Yer… yer gonna leave me." He said hoarsely, tears building in those black and gold eyes. "Ya like him Grimm, don't lie t'me I know ya do. An' he can give ya… what I can't…" The tears fell then and Grimmjow licked then away, rumbling softly in his chest. "I'm losin' ya bit by bit an' I can't stop it…"

"Shiro." Grimmjow covered his face in kisses, soothing his mate. "You're not going to lose me. I love you." Shiro's breath caught and Grimmjow nuzzled him. He hadn't said that much to his mate, because it made Shiro react so strongly. But now was a good time.

"H-How can you love me? I'm cold an' prickly an' – " Grimmjow silenced his white mate with another kiss. But Shiro was still stiff and resisting, unable to believe him completely.

"Are you forgetting how kind you are? How you took care of me when I was sick?" He murmured into a white, flicking ear. "I love you Shiro. I love all of you." He loved everything about him, even the more difficult parts. This time when he kissed Shiro his lips were warm and accepting, slightly salty from the tears. Their tongues dueled with each other, sliding over each other in an intimate dance.

"G-Grimm… take me…" Shiro moaned, lifting his chin and baring his throat to his mate. That shocked his blue mate, but only for a moment. Then he took the invitation, nibbling that soft, silky white skin ever so gently. "Nnn… ah…" Shiro moaned and twitched. Grimmjow sniffed and grinned as the sweet, musky scent of his mate perfumed the air. Lifting his tail he let his own scent fly free as he undid the straps of Shiro's body covering, pulling the piece of leather away. Then he reached behind the albino, gathering a bit of his mating mark.

The white, creamy liquid made a perfect lubrication, so soon after it was released. Grimmjow smeared it over his fingers before gliding them over Shiro's cock. The taunt white flesh reacted well to his touch, standing proud and upright in its nest of white curls. Grimmjow paused for a moment to gaze over the body of his mate and wondered how Shiro thought he could ever leave him. Couldn't he see how beautiful he was? Well, if he couldn't see it then Grimmjow would just have to tell him.

"You're beautiful Shiro." He said as he went down on his mate, catching their cocks together in his fist. "You're the most gorgeous thing I've ever seen." That was nothing but the truth. Green was handsome enough and there had been a few cousins in his family who had attracted him, but no one was as beautiful as his Shiro. Ichigo… Ichigo attracted him in a very different way. He was strange and exotic, but Grimmjow would not let that destroy what lay between him and Shiro.

He stroked their cocks together, feeling the slick, hot flesh rubbing so nicely against his own as he watched his mate with lust filled eyes. When Shiro was moaning, his ears turned back and his face adorably flushed, Grimmjow suddenly let go and pulled away. His mate blinked and whined, wanting the friction back, but Grimmjow had other plans for him. Reaching behind himself he deliberately released a bit more mating scent. The blue gel coated his fingers and he used it, carefully retracting his claws before he began stretching Shiro's anal cavity. This was not a normal method of having sex, but the two of them were far from normal.

"Ooo Grimm!" Shiro moaned, whimpering in an odd combination of pain and pleasure. He was a true male, not the oddity Grimmjow was, so this would always hurt a bit. But his pale mate seemed to get off on the pain. When he thought that Shiro was stretched enough to tolerate it Grimmjow guided his member to that puckered entrance.

"Shiro." He whispered heavily, his voice deep and thick with need as he began to sink into the other male. "Shiro…" The white male was breathing heavily, his eyes tightly closed and his ears pinned back. "Look at me Shiro." He demanded and those beautiful black and gold eyes opened just as he fully seated himself in that hot, clutching heat.

"Nnngh god Grimm!" Shiro said, his body trembling with need. "Oh I can't wait, please Grimm, please…" He moaned, then followed it with a dark, primitive sound that hit Grimmjow right in the libido. He pulled his cock almost all the way free then slammed it back home, taking his mate roughly. "Grimmjow!" Grimmjow lapped at his mate's sweet skin, tasting the sweat on that burning white flesh.

"You're just as hot inside…" He groaned as he thrust in harder, faster, taking his mate with a deep and primitive passion. Shiro's abnormal body heat was just as strong within him and it was a truly unique experience, so intense it almost hurt. "Gods!" Grimmjow didn't really believe in their deities but he called out to them anyway when he felt Shiro's body tighten around him. "Stop that… you'll make me come…" He groaned out before biting Shiro on the shoulder. The white man yelped at the mild pain before nipping his ear. "Ow!"

"F-Faster fucker… faster!" He gasped out and Grimmjow grinned wickedly before he obeyed, riding his lover as fast as he could, rocking him against the sandy stone so hard he might end up with welts. "Oh my god Grimm so good." Shiro whimpered, wrapping his tail around his mate's waist. Grimmjow's tail slid around his, trying to entwine with the other's appendage.

"So fucking good Shiro." Grimmjow agreed, sliding a hand through damp white hair, his fingers finding one of Shiro's new hair ornaments. It glittered in the light of the moon like a bloody star, silver and bright red. "Ahn!" Grimmjow gasped as Shiro tightened around him again. His mate was getting close. Deciding it was time, Grimmjow gripped his cock with one large, callused hand, stroking Shiro in time with his thrusts. The albino's mouth opened in surprise and pleasure at the new level of stimulation. "Cum for me Shiro." Grimmjow purred in his black and gold, furry ear.

That was all it took to bring Shiro over the edge. His white mate spasmed, creamy white cum painting his chest and belly. Grimmjow growled deep in his throat as his cock was almost smothered by clutching walls. The incredible pressure and heat brought him over the edge and he followed Shiro's lead, releasing inside his mate with a cry of ecstasy. Shiro made a soft, fluting sound as he felt the hot cum spilling into him, filling him to overflowing.

They lay together for a long moment, just looking at each other and panting. Then Grimmjow gently, slowly pulled away. Shiro opened his mouth to say something but never got the chance. Grimmjow gripped that pretty little hair ornament and pulled it out of his long white hair.

"Ow!" Shiro reached for his head, wincing as several hairs were pulled out along with the adornment. "Grimmjow, what the hell?" He asked as his mate grinned.

"I've changed my mind. I want this. Put it in my hair." He demanded and Shiro looked shocked. Hesitantly, he took the silver and red ornament and began weaving it into Grimmjow's hair.

"Why d'you want this one? It's not your colors." Shiro asked. Really, the silver and red would go oddly against the beautiful blue. Grimmjow laughed softly and caught his chin, pulling him close for a gentle kiss.

"That's the point. I want it because it's you." He explained and Shiro swallowed, hard. He finished fixing the little bangle in Grimmjow's hair and then his mate turned, hugging him tightly. "I love you Shiro. I love you and I want you. I swear I will never, ever leave you." Grimmjow gently caressed his mate, stroking sculpted muscles. "If we ever mate Ichigo, we'll do it together. You can make the decision on if we will or we won't. Good?"

"…Good." Shiro whispered, letting himself melt into Grimmjow's embrace. His family background made him doubt, but he couldn't deny the sincerity in Grimmjow's words. "C'mon, let's get back to the den." He said, standing up and brushing off the hardened mating marks. White and blue stones scattered into the grass, completely ignored by the two aliens. Grimmjow got to his feet, brushing himself off as well. Then he offered Shiro a hand with a smile and they returned to the den, walking quite close together.

They loved each other. Everything would be fine.


	4. Who Believes in the Gods?

Urahara scowled as he looked at the reports from his crew and messages from Hallelujah.

He was beginning to get quite annoyed with his sponsors. They were doing everything they could to downplay and discredit Kurosaki's discoveries. Now they were insinuating that because this was his first mission he was letting his emotions interfere with his objectivity. Urahara thought that could be true. This alien species was both physically and emotionally attractive to humans, with pheromones that could actually affect them to boot. So it would be no surprise if young Ichigo was forging an emotional connection with his hosts.

But that didn't worry him much. The truth was, an emotional connection normally happened in an immersion. How could it not? When you lived with anyone for months on end, you developed likes and dislikes. Urahara was certain Kurosaki would not let his personal feelings affect his scientific data. But his private sponsors' were going so far as to insinuate he would falsify data and that the aliens were sub-sentient at best.

As a response, Hallelujah had sent out a call for a more experienced xenosociologist to join the expedition. Urahara had been given input on that and he hoped, dearly hoped they would get Unohana Retsu. She had been on the very first team to discover sentient life. To say she was experienced was an understatement.

Right now, though, he was dealing with something more picayune and very annoying. Things were going missing. An oddball assortment of items, they included things like lightbulbs, shoes, food and some rather expensive jewelry. One of the meteorologists was quite upset at the loss of her wedding ring, which she'd taken off and put in a little box, setting it on a table for just a moment as she did some heavy labor. The box had vanished entirely.

"Ugh." He likely had a thief on the crew. The lightbulbs could just have been a silly accident, but everything else was the sort of things a person would take. Or it could be a clever animal, or even one of Ichigo's new sentients. He thought the last one was the least likely, though. What were the odds that another of them had found his expedition?

He would set up a trap to catch and humiliate the thief. Hopefully, no harsher discipline would be needed.

* * *

The young female licked her lips, sidling closer to the tempting box. She could smell the contents and they smelled like meat, the odd preserved type these strangers favored. She liked that stuff and would gladly take it if she could.

She was quite new to this area. A young female, wandering from band to band in search of… what? Perhaps another survivor from her family. Perhaps just a male that caught her attention. Or perhaps she wanted adventure. Grinning to herself, she admitted it was likely the last. Why else would she be hanging around these strangers?

They were all so odd. They had mud and straw colors for hair, no tails and their ears were very strange, tiny furless things. But their hands were quite familiar if lacking claws, and she'd gotten to see several of them bathing in the river. A few of them were really pretty cute. So she'd followed them home, using her hierro to best advantage, and had found their fascinating encampment.

It reminded her of how her own family had lived, before the rains had swept them away. They'd been a large family and they'd lived in huts made from the tropical leaves and grasses, cemented with mud. These people had huts made of strange fabric and odd metal poles, but it was clearly the same idea. And the numbers were about the same as her old clan, maybe a bit higher. This was a large family indeed.

But there were so many unusual things here! She glanced down at the pretty ring on her finger, grinning. She loved the way the stone caught the light and sparkled. And the funny screw things that made light… when they were unscrewed they stopped making light but she'd learned how to break them and extract bits and pieces from them. The little metal wires inside made excellent fishhooks. There were just so many good things here!

So instead of hunting or fishing she was hanging around, and that meant she needed to eat. Licking her lips she slid out of the shadows and gripped a corner of the box, opening it –

Then she screamed in pain and surprise as a burst of something wet hit her in the face. Howling, she tried to scrub it off and found that it was sticking more firmly than a stale mating mark caught in fur. Whimpering in pain and nearly blind she tried to run, but tripped and fell on her face. Then something landed on her and she yelped, breath driven out of her. She wiggled as someone shoved a knee in her back and tried to hold her down. She was having none of that and swiped out with a violent hiss, making her captor yelp and let go. Then she ran, managing to open her watering eyes enough to see. She could hear cries of surprise behind her but she ignored them, dashing away.

Maybe this had all been a very stupid idea.

* * *

"What happened?" Urahara was shocked to see one of Soifon's security team on the ground, nursing what were clearly claw marks. They weren't deep but they were ugly and one of their nursing staff was already cleaning them out.

"We found your thief. It appears to be one of the aliens, a female one this time." Soifon reported and Urahara bit his lip. That posed some serious problems.

"Damn. That paint tag won't wear off." It required a special solvent to be removed. "Soifon, please send out teams to find her. The paint did have a tracker in it?" He hadn't thought it was an animal or sentient, but they'd still taken the possibility into account and spiked the paint with a special tracker. Soifon nodded.

"We'll find her soon." She said and Urahara nodded, going to find the jar of solvent. He'd just found it when he got a message through his earbug.

_Sir? I've found the alien, she's down by the river. Uh, sir, you might want to hurry. She's trying to remove the paint tag._ The person on the other end sounded very nervous and Urahara frowned.

"She can't, not without the solvent." He said as he looked at the jar. Without it, removing the paint would be quite impossible. Well, unless you were willing to lose skin. That thought would haunt him later as the voice spoke again.

_Sir? She's using a knife – _Urahara was getting older, but he still managed a good sprint as he ran towards the ATV's. Cursing, he grabbed one of the vehicles, turning it on and racing down to the location of the scout. It needed to be him. He was one of the few people in the camp who had a fairly good grasp of the alien's language. He left the ATV before he got to the river, hoping not to startle the woman too much. But as soon as he saw what she was doing he called out.

"No, stop!" He called to her in her own tongue, making her flinch and look. Her face was covered in orange paint and she was clearly having trouble seeing. Thankfully she hadn't reached that spot yet, but there was blood dripping down her arm and into the water. "I have something that will remove it!" He said, panting, and that stopped the female from bolting. His accent was probably terrible but she understood him and that was all that mattered.

"Please, take it off!" She said, wincing as she lifted her arm. He quickly unscrewed the lid of the jar and dipped a rag in the contents, rubbing away the paint. She hissed but didn't cry out as some of it got into her wound. Urahara wasn't worried about it hurting her, it was alcohol based and completely harmless. If anything it would clean out her injuries. She closed her eyes as he tended to her face, revealing deeply tanned skin and lovely features. His gaze was caught by her lips. They were full and inviting, particularly when a pink tongue flicked out to wet them –

There was a giggle and Urahara yanked his gaze up, meeting big purple eyes. The remains of the paint almost looked like a strange makeup and he blushed before reaching up to remove them. There was more of it in her hair and on her ears, and he worked that out too, noticing that her hair was a dark violet and silky smooth.

"What's your name?" He asked, more to distract her than anything. She gave him a surprised look.

"That is a rude question!" She said and Urahara blinked, taken aback. Ichigo had learned a great deal about the alien's culture but he'd only been with them a few months. He could easily have missed something. "But I don't mind. I'm Yoruichi." She said with a grin and Urahara smiled back.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I am Urahara." He said, resting a hand on his chest. "Why is it rude?" He asked, curious. How could asking for a name be rude? Yoruichi laughed, stroking her hair with one hand.

"Everyone believes that giving someone your name gives them power over you." She explained and Urahara made a mental note. Ichigo had clearly missed something important. "So usually only friends and family know. But my family didn't really believe that. We still didn't give strangers our name because it would make them uncomfortable but we didn't really care."

"Ah, I see." So it was a social convention whether they believed in it or not. "Yoruichi, why were you stealing from us?" Urahara asked and she just shrugged.

"Because I could!" She answered with a cheeky grin before bouncing to her feet, grabbing the obsidian knife and cleaning it on the grass before putting it into a leather sheath. Urahara noticed, with a great deal of interest, that she was wearing only a leather belt and two knives. There was not a shred of clothing to hide her gorgeous body. Then she suddenly dashed away and Urahara stared after her, caught by surprise.

"Hey!" He called after her, but it was too late.

The vision in violet was already gone.

* * *

Yoruichi watched the strangers from afar and considered her options.

She was really very curious about them, but now she was wary of stealing from them. That narrowed her options considerably. Some of their activities were rather noisy and the raptors seemed to be afraid of them, so the hunting in the area wasn't too good. She could still catch rodents and birds but those were hardly better than snacks. Vegetables were more plentiful and a few berries were starting to come in. That could keep her going for a while, but she'd have to make a fire to cook the tubers and the strangers might notice.

Of course, there was another option. She could simply walk up to them and ask for a place in their group. They were a very large family so they might not be interested in new members, but she was a young, unmated female. If they had plenty of food, and they seemed to, there was usually some nice man looking for a mate. Yoruichi was quite accustomed to trading her favors to get what she wanted, and these people were so _interesting!_ What were those strange little things they rode around on? How did the lights work? What were their homes made out of?

Yoruichi wanted to know _everything._ Her whole family had been terrible for being curious and she saw no reason not to continue the tradition. So she decided she would try it and she knew who to approach. The man with the strange thing on his head. She'd been observing these people sometime and she was sure he was the alpha male, the head of the family. That meant he would be mated, of course, but maybe he would want a second or even third mate. If so, Yoruichi had no problems with that. She grinned to herself, licking her lips as she snuck back into their camp.

She was going to make her move today.

* * *

"…So Soifon, we should probably… Soifon?" Urahara frowned at the woman in front of him. There was something very odd about the way she was looking at him. Her eyes were very wide, there was a blush on her cheeks and her lips were slightly parted. It actually made the severe young woman look rather attractive but it was strange. "Are you – HEY!" He reached up as his hat was suddenly snatched away. There was a flash of violet and brown and Urahara found himself staring at the young alien woman. She was squatting on her haunches, his hat on her head at a jaunty angle. "Yoruichi!" He couldn't help but be pleased that she'd come back. And now he understood what Soifon's problem was. She was quite openly lesbian and Yoruichi's breasts must have been in perfect viewing range.

"Urahara!" The woman said happily, putting her hands down onto the ground between her legs and bouncing a little bit, still squatting. Urahara wasn't in bad shape but he knew trying to match that pose would have made his legs creak. "Would you take me in your family? I'll be a good mate to one of your sons!" She bounced again and Urahara was a little speechless, his eyes going exactly where she meant for them to go. Soifon made a small choking sound behind him. "Or I could be your second mate, if your mate isn't jealous of me!" She said with a cheeky grin and he tried to sort out his thoughts. She clearly thought they were of her people, or something similar. But then, they did look very much alike and she would have no concept of otherwordly travel. So perhaps it wasn't so surprising.

"I, ah, I don't have a mate." He said and Yoruichi looked puzzled for a moment. "Could I have my hat back, please?"

"Oh sure!" She darted up with alarming speed and set his hat back on his head, all in a single, smooth move. "You don't have a mate? Did she die?" Yoruichi said sympathetically, her purple eyes warm with compassion. Urahara swallowed, struggling to think of a reply.

"No, that's not… I've never mated." He said and the alien woman looked very puzzled.

"Never mated? But you're the leader of a large and powerful group with lots of food! Why wouldn't you mate?" She asked, which was a perfectly logical question from her perspective. Urahara rubbed his forehead for a moment as Soifon frowned at the woman.

"We're not really a family group." He explained carefully, wondering how much she would understand. "We are here to learn about this place and your people. And I had to learn a great deal to become leader of this group. There was no time for mating." Then he decided it might be prudent to change the subject. "Have you been travelling, Yoruichi? Shiro said that it was very dangerous to travel, that other groups drove him away." Belatedly, Urahara realized that he shouldn't have said the white alien's name to her. If giving out your own name to a stranger was giving them power over you, giving out someone else's name to a stranger had to be the height of rudeness. But Yoruichi didn't seem to care.

"He was a male!" She stood up then and stretched, her magnificent breasts riding up with the motion. "I'm a young, fertile female. Males are so easy! Even when they got mad at me I would just…" The beautiful alien suddenly scampered over to Soifon and hugged her legs, sliding down in front of her and looking up with a sorrowful look in her big violet eyes. "And then I would…" Her ears twitched as she parted her lips, then shifted so her breasts were pressed flush to the security chief's legs. Soifon was staring, her blue eyes wide and her face gradually turning pink. "And then I might…" She pressed her face close to Soifon's crotch and the woman's eyes suddenly rolled back. Urahara just barely managed to catch her as she fainted. "Ah! What happened? Did I hurt her?" Yoruichi sounded very alarmed by this turn of events. She leaned over Soifon, her breasts swinging in a way that would probably have put her back to sleep instantly if she'd happened to wake up.

"No, she's fine. Ah, she prefers the company of other females." Urahara tried to explain. Soifon was quite open about her inclination so she wouldn't mind, and the young alien's reaction might be informative. Yoruichi tilted her ears forward, looking slightly astonished.

"Really? I've heard of that but never met one… although I did have one cousin who was _weird._" Yoruichi backed away, to Urahara's relief. "Well, I like males." She said and Urahara couldn't help but smile. He'd definitely noticed. "So can I stay?"

"Well…" Urahara thought about it hard for a moment. In one way it was an awful idea. They were not supposed to make the natives dependant on them and they certainly weren't supposed to have sex with them. Urahara had no doubt at all that Yoruichi would have company before the week was out.

However, in another way it was an excellent idea. He wasn't a xenosociologist but he was a very experienced researcher. Ichigo was brand new to his work and their critics were using it against him. If he kept Yoruichi in the camp he could examine and question her, probably more in depth than Ichigo could manage with his pair. His reports would lend weight to Ichigo's, and then Yoruichi would be available when a new xenosociologist arrived…

"You can stay." He said to the young female with a smile. She bounced happily and Urahara had to avert his eyes. She really was gorgeous. "Ah, would you mind wearing clothing though? It's… traditional." He said and Yoruichi pouted, but only for a moment.

"I don't like wearing things, but okay! Can you teach me how to talk to people here? And can I ride one of those funny things you have that make the brrrm brrrm noises?" She asked and Urahara laughed, amused at the description of the ATV's.

"I can teach you our language. But the ATV will have to wait. You could hurt yourself." He said with a smile as Soifon sat up with a small groan, holding her head. "Ah, Soifon! Now that you're back with us, could you fetch some clothing for our guest?"

"Uh, yes Urahara." She muttered, trying not to look at Yoruichi as she climbed to her feet. The alien woman grinned, her ears flicking back and forth as she clearly thought of some devilish way to tease Soifon. But Urahara shook his head at her and she stuck her lower lip out in a pout before sighing and squatting on her haunches again. Urahara noticed that that seemed to be her default position when she was waiting for something. That was interesting.

He really couldn't wait to get to know her better. There were so many things to learn.

* * *

"…So you dip a stick in it." Shiro demonstrated the technique as Ichigo watched. Grimmjow already had a stick inside the mound, digging up… well, Ichigo wasn't sure what. He wasn't sure what they were doing at all. Shiro had a bowl of an odd, greenish sap that he was rolling a stick in. "Then you put it in the mound and wait for a bit." Shiro stuck the stick in one of the holes as Ichigo watched intently. "You can tell when to pull it out when it starts getting heavy. See, look." He gestured to Grimmjow and Ichigo glanced over.

And had to hold back a moment of horror as he saw the huge, ant like creatures that were swarming on his stick. Grimmjow was licking them off with evident enjoyment and the crunching sounds were more than a little nauseating. Ichigo swallowed hard and reminded himself that bug eating was a common thing in many human cultures. In fact, he'd tried a few candied locusts and grubs in his classes, as the professors tried to broaden their horizons.

"Mmm." Shiro had pulled out his stick and was cleaning it off, licking off the bugs with his tongue and catching them with his agile lips. "These are delicious, crispy and nutty. Would you like some?"

"No, thank you." Ichigo declined politely. "They might make me sick." That was his usual excuse not to try any of their food. And the biochemists hadn't finished their workups, so it was true. Shiro gave him a curious look.

"How can good foods like these make you sick?" He asked and Ichigo frowned. He hadn't fully explained where he was from yet. He'd just said he was from far away, and Grimmjow and Shiro had accepted that, probably due to the storms that had tossed them out of their home.

"I'm from very far away, Shiro." He said, then hesitated before pointing upwards. "I'm from beyond the sky." He knew this would likely be a difficult concept for them. It generally offended religious beliefs. Sure enough, Shiro was looking at him like he was crazy.

"No way. That's where the gods live." He said firmly and Ichigo winced. But Grimmjow's chuckle was a bit reassuring.

"Yeah, and the stars are the spirits of our ancestors." He said as he pulled out his stick again. "This is a good one… yeah, and falling stars are great grandpappy doing a fart!" He began cleaning off his stick as Shiro laid back his ears, then groaned.

"Yer such an idiot." He said severely. "Are you gonna tell him about the gods, too?" Ichigo perked up at that. He hadn't asked about their religion because that could be a very touchy subject, but he was intensely curious. He knew they had multiple gods, since they always referred to them in the plural, but that was about it.

"Why not? I bet he doesn't know." Grimmjow said with a grin and Shiro paused in his eating, looking slightly horrified. "First there's Nadaque. He's the god of beating someone's face in. Then there's Shemania, she's the goddess of fucking your brains out – "

"What!" Shiro yelped, dropping his stick. The bugs kept feasting on the green sap, completely oblivious to the possibility of escaping their fate. "Yer bein' sacrilegious! Yer gonna get hit by lightning!" Grimmjow laughed.

"You believe that? The gods haven't got me yet, I think I'll manage." He said cheerfully before eating some more bugs. Shiro put his face in his hands, clearly suffering some mental pain. Then he looked up with a sigh, before retrieving his bug stick and cleaning it off again.

"Don' listen to that idiot, he'll get ya fried by lightning on a sunny day." Shiro said and Grimmjow laughed again as Ichigo smiled. He loved the interplay between the two of them. "Nadaque is the god of strength. Th' young hunters pray to him for good hunting an' give him pieces of their kills. Shemania is the goddess of fertility, the girls that want babies pray to him. You ever prayed to her, Grimm?" He asked and Grimmjow shrugged.

"Maybe once or twice." He admitted, which made Ichigo feel puzzled. Grimmjow wasn't a female. When they'd explained the terms for man and woman to him, Grimmjow had made some crude illustrations. So Ichigo knew this race was sexually dimorphic, just like humans, and his picture of a woman had been curved in a very familiar way. He filed that away for later. Right now, he wanted to hear about the gods.

"Are there more?" He prompted as Shiro paused to eat more bugs.

"Justa moment." He crunched through his bugs and put more sap on the stick before speaking again. "Yeah, there's two more. Tikimoro, the god of death and Varunder, the god of storms. I almost got sacrificed to them." Shiro said and Grimmjow looked up from his stick sharply.

"What? Sacrificed? What d'you mean?" He asked before Ichigo could. Shiro pulled out his stick before glancing over at them both, his black and gold eyes far away and his face pinched with pain.

"I mean given the sacrificial marks… painted on, there was no time t'let tattoos heal… an' gutted under the twisty tree." He said in an oddly empty tone and Ichigo swallowed hard, glancing at Grimmjow. He was relieved to see the blue alien looked just as appalled as he felt. "Th' only reason I wasn't was they decided I wasn't good enough. The gods want th' best an' I can't make cubs. So it was my li'l sister instead." Shiro began eating the bugs off his stick, slowly this time. "I wish I'd said somethin'… nobody would've listened t'me but… I wanted the rain t' go away." He sounded ashamed and Ichigo reached out to touch his shoulder.

"Don't feel too bad, Shiro. You were desperate." He said comfortingly. He could only imagine how desperate Shiro's family had been and it was natural to see the weather as a punishment from the gods. The muscles under his hand felt very tense but then Shiro let out a long sigh and Ichigo felt the tension go out of him.

"Yeah, we was. Mmm… y'know Grimm, you must be right. Who gives a shit about the gods? They don't give a shit about us." Shiro said before finishing his stick. "An' I'm done. Couldn't eat another one. You about done?"

"Oh yeah, I'm just nibblin'." Grimmjow discarded his stick as Shiro poured out the dregs of the sap. The insects quickly found the sticky mess, feeding as the three of them walked away. "Hey Shiro, you know all those songs to the gods, right? Why don't you sing for Ichigo?"

"Um? Oh sure." Shiro began to sing, which was really a treat for Ichigo. Grimmjow had a nice singing voice but Shiro's voice was lyrical even when he was speaking. When he sang, it was heartbreakingly beautiful. It was hard for him to make out the words – this was clearly a special dialect – but Ichigo was captivated by the sound of Shiro's voice. He was careful to make sure he was getting recordings of it.

It could go into his next report to Urahara.


	5. Sex!

Author's note: I meant for Yoruichi's eyes to be golden. Stupid typos. XD

"Hey Ichigo." Grimmjow said lazily. The two aliens were sunning themselves on a nice, flat rock nearby the river. Ichigo had taken off his shirt to catch some rays. That had been mildly embarrassing at first when Grimmjow had grinned at him and Shiro had looked him over, but they'd both gotten over it. "You say you're from beyond the sky, right?"

"Yes." He answered, leaning back. It really was pleasant out and the sun was very similar to the sun on his home planet, although a bit hotter. And the savannah was beautiful, the grasses and wildflowers flowing in the light breeze.

"So what's the world look like from beyond the sky?" Grimmjow asked and Ichigo blinked. That was going to be tricky to answer, but he would give it a shot. The aliens were both very intelligent and deserved not to be lied to.

"Well, the world is round, to start." He said and Grimmjow frowned as Shiro looked up. "It's basically a ball floating in nothing."

"A ball floating in nothing? Are you shitting me?" Grimmjow said skeptically. Ichigo couldn't blame him, really. It sounded preposterous.

"How do things stay on the bottom?" Shiro wondered and Ichigo hesitated. Trying to explain gravity might be too much of a challenge.

"The world makes sure they do. And the world is so big, it doesn't look like a ball when you're on it, you can only tell from up in the sky." He said and Shiro and Grimmjow exchanged a look. Then Grimmjow shrugged. "It's really pretty though. All blue and full of white clouds. I wish I could show you." It would be a lot easier to convince them if he could show them the world from above. He considered asking Urahara for pictures then decided not to. They really weren't supposed to interfere with the natives too much.

"I could see that. The gods, looking down at our world like that…" Shiro mused before stretching out. "Mmm, nice out today." He said with a pleased sigh, his tail flicking gently as the sunlight caressed dead white skin. "Hey Grimm, should we hunt a bit d'you think?"

"Nah. We've still got those marrowbones to crack, and there's tons of flufflowers out. We can have flufflowers and bone marrow." Grimmjow said with a yawn. "And I want to be lazy. Lazy day, mm." Ichigo smiled as he watched the blue haired alien stretch. He looked absolutely gorgeous like this, his blue hair spread out around him like a puddle of liquid sky.

"Works for me. But I wanna go fishing tomorrow. We can go that shallow place an' stand in th' rocks. Those big fish should be coming back for spawning soon, bet we can catch some." Shiro said with a grin and Grimmjow nodded.

"As long as the raptors aren't too thick, the bastards." He said with a yawn. "Hey Ichigo, you know a lot about us right? I know it might be kinda hard but can you tell us about yourself? Your family?" Grimmjow asked and Shiro propped himself up on his elbows, giving Ichigo a curious look.

"Sure." He answered immediately. He was more than willing to talk about his family although, as Grimmjow said, it might be a bit difficult to explain. "I have a father and two sisters named Yuzu and Karin. My mother died when I was very young." It still hurt a little to remember but it had been a long time ago. "I also have grandparents, uncles and cousins on both sides, but I didn't live near them." Ichigo lay back, gazing up into the sky. It was a brilliant blue, a perfect match for his homeworld. "We lived on a world named Meritocracy." Ichigo knew the history behind the name and thought it was very idealistic but sort of absurd. Grimmjow tried to say the word and failed miserably, which made him grin. "We just call it Merit." That was much easier for Grimmjow. Although Shiro managed to say the longer version flawlessly, which got him the stink eye from his blue haired mate. "I lived in a pretty big town. It was nice." Sometimes he missed it a little.

"What's a town?" Grimmjow asked and Ichigo realized he'd used his own word for it. The aliens had words for small gatherings and family groups but nothing like a real town. He tried to explain as best he could and while Grimmjow looked fascinated, Shiro looked almost fearful.

"How could ya stand t'be around that many people?" He asked and Ichigo blinked. "It'd drive me mad!"

"Really? Wouldn't bother me a bit." Grimmjow sounded slightly surprised and Ichigo smiled. The two aliens were so different despite being so alike. "You said your mother died. How did you feed the babies?" The question was asked casually and Ichigo didn't notice the gleam of interest in bright blue eyes, or the way Shiro tilted his ears, paying close attention while struggling not to reveal it.

"Oh, they weren't that young. But it's not a problem for us. We use formula." Then he had to explain formula to the two aliens. It took some serious work but they both got the idea. Ichigo closed his eyes, enjoying the sunshine. He missed the meaningful look Grimmjow gave to Shiro or the white alien's answering nod.

He did notice when the sun was blocked out and a white hand rested on his chest. His eyes snapped open and Ichigo swallowed as he found himself looking into black and gold eyes.

"Shiro? What are you doing?" He asked, his breathing speeding up. He couldn't help it. Shiro was looking at him with such an odd intensity and Ichigo found his gaze being drawn to his lips. As pure white as every part of Shiro, they were delicately parted and a dark tongue flicked out, wetting them and making them glisten.

"Thinkin' bout what t'do with you." Shiro's answer wasn't reassuring, or the wicked grin that crossed his face. Ichigo's eyes went wide as white lips suddenly crashed against his.

For a brief, crazy moment, he wondered if kissing meant the same thing for these aliens as it did for his people. But he knew it did. He'd seen Grimmjow and Shiro kiss several times, and give each other playful nips. They were always affectionate gestures. So he really couldn't be misrepresenting this. He gripped Shiro's shoulders, unsure what to do, and his eyes widened even more as he heard a chuckle behind him. Then Grimmjow was there, pushing him forward so the blue alien could nestle behind him. Ichigo swallowed hard, trying to control his lust.

"Shiro, this isn't… we shouldn't…" Ichigo was at a loss. He knew he was gay, he'd known since high school. But while Shiro and Grimmjow were both beautiful and exotic they simply weren't his species. "Stop!" He gasped as Shiro's hand curled around his sex, stroking him in a very familiar way.

"Why? Y'like us, we can tell." Shiro said simply as Grimmjow chuckled again, the rumble vibrating against Ichigo's back. The white alien lifted his tail and Ichigo gasped as a familiar musk filled the air. It was like the scent from the stones, but stronger. Much, much stronger. Blue hair cascaded over his shoulder as Grimmjow turned his head, catching his earlobe in his mouth and giving it a slow, sensual suck. "Oi Grimm, is that sexy?" Ichigo blinked as he was reminded that the aliens didn't really have earlobes. Then Shiro squeezed him and he completely forgot about it, groaning as his body reacted to the touch and the pheromones around him.

"He's not complaining." Grimmjow pointed out as he let go of his earlobe with a pop. Black clawed hands pushed up his shirt, sliding over his chest to find his nipples. Ichigo groaned as they were teased to hardness.

"Uh…" Ichigo muttered, trying to push Shiro away. But his hands just ended up flat against that beautifully muscled chest. "Ah!" He gasped as Shiro rubbed against him. Then the albino hissed in displeasure, reaching down to remove his body coverings. Ichigo couldn't help but take a look. Grimmjow had no nudity taboos but Shiro definitely did, so he'd been unable to determine how the aliens differed from each other. To his relief, Shiro had a very familiar cock and balls arrangement and the proportions were human like.

"We need to switch places." Grimmjow said to Shiro and he nodded. Ichigo frowned.

"Why… oh!" The aliens shifted like the wind and suddenly Shiro was pressed against his back, his skin warming him even through his shirt. Grimmjow was straddling his waist with a feral grin and Ichigo suddenly understood. He'd noticed before that Grimmjow's sex was different from the human norm, and he'd suspected it might be different from his own species too. Now he was sure of it. "You're a hermaphrodite." He realized. Then he blushed as the blue alien gave him a curious look.

"Herm… whatsit? What's that mean?" He asked and Ichigo swallowed, hoping he wasn't offending. Although from the way Shiro's hands were gliding over his skin, he didn't think the aliens were about to stop.

"It means you have… male and female parts." Ichigo said. He knew it wasn't entirely correct but it was the easiest way to explain it to the aliens. Grimmjow chuckled, a soft rumble in his chest as he slowly and languorously rubbed his body against the xenosociologist's.

"We don't have a word for what I am." He said with a grin before giving his neck a nip. "'Cept for something rude anyway. But I'll show you what I can do." Ichigo swallowed hard at the promising tone. Despite being completely gay, Grimmjow's female aspects didn't turn him off at all. He looked masculine, with his hard muscles and flat chest. Then Grimmjow's hand dipped under his pants and he completely forgot about anything but the pleasure.

Ichigo helped the aliens strip away his clothing before deciding he wasn't just going to sit back and take it. The pheromones were filling the air, intoxicating and irresistible, and he obeyed his instincts, shoving Grimmjow onto his back. The blue alien groaned softly as blunt teeth nipped his throat, tilting his head back to expose the pale flesh.

Ichigo gasped as Shiro began preparing him. He wasn't sure what the alien was using for lube, but it was working and he rocked his hips back into those questing fingers. Lowering his head, he gently took one of Grimmjow's nipples into his mouth, sucking then blowing on the overheated skin. Grimmjow tasted good, salty yet sweet on the tongue. Ichigo grimaced a little in pain as Shiro stretched him uncomfortably wide. It had been a while since he'd had a lover and it hurt a little.

"Take me Ichigo." Grimmjow begged, spreading his legs wantonly. His sex was standing tall in the middle of light blue curls, shading to navy around his vaginal opening. Ichigo nodded, feeling breathless, and quickly positioned himself, sliding into that tight wet heat with a single push.

Then Shiro took him from behind and Ichigo gasped in a combination of pain and pleasure as he was stretched uncomfortably wide by that hot length. The alien was big, but he quickly got used to the burn, then groaned as Shiro found his prostate. That bounced him against Grimmjow and the blue alien gave a soft, blissful sound.

Shiro was the one who set the pace, driving Ichigo deeper into Grimmjow. The redhead wrapped a hand around the blue alien's straining erection, squeezing the sensitive flesh and getting a catlike cry of pleasure. Grimmjow's ears were flicking and his face was flushed, his eyes half closed as he gazed up at the man above him. It was an incredibly sexy look and Ichigo gripped a hard, muscled thigh with one hand, trying to deepen the penetration.

"Shiro, Grimmjow, god!" He gasped as Shiro nailed his prostate again. White hair slid over his shoulder, tickling him with the soft strands. "Fuck, ah…" He moaned, vaguely aware he'd defaulted back to his own language. But neither of the aliens seemed to care. Shiro was whispering endearments in his ear while Grimmjow panted, lost in the pleasure of the moment.

Ichigo kissed Grimmjow, nibbling his lower lip and drawing it out teasingly before letting go with a small pop. The alien groaned, his blue eyes glazed and Ichigo thought he'd never looked as sexy as he did at this moment. Then muscles rippled around him and Grimmjow cried out as a small spray of creamy cum erupted from him, painting his abdomen and chest. The sight of the blue alien so completely undone inflamed both his lovers and Shiro pistoned into Ichigo, taking him so quick and hard that it made the young man gasp. They both came almost simultaneously, Ichigo releasing into Grimmjow even as Shiro filled him with his hot seed. The three of them lay together for a moment, panting, before Shiro slowly drew away, leaving Ichigo on top of Grimmjow.

"That was so nice." The blue alien murmured and Ichigo blushed as he met lazy, contented blue eyes. "Hope you put a baby in me." He said sleepily and Ichigo froze for a moment in the act of pulling away.

_Oh no._ His eyes widened as he realized what the aliens were thinking. He knew Shiro was sterile, Grimmjow had mentioned it when he'd asked if it was normal for travellers to have so much trouble. And they just didn't understand how _different_ he was. He looked very similar to them, after all.

"Grimmjow, I don't think that would work." He said awkwardly as he finished pulling away. The tip of Grimmjow's tail flicked as he looked up, mildly curious. "We're not the same kind. It would be like – like a raptor mating with a running beast." Those were the small, fast little creatures that lived on the savannah grasses. They reminded him a bit of rabbits, but larger, and almost everything preyed on them. Grimmjow and Shiro would only eat them if there was nothing better because they had very little fat.

"You don' look like a raptor to me." Shiro said teasingly from behind him and Ichigo blushed as the white alien fluffed his hair. Grimmjow just shrugged.

"I'm probably sterile anyway. My scent says otherwise, but that can be wrong. You won't mind if I hope a bit, hey?" He asked and Ichigo shook his head with a small, sad smile. Grimmjow was clearly used to disappointment but Ichigo had no doubt that his desire for a child was very real. No wonder Shiro had been jealous of him.

It was a good reason there was no real need for that jealousy. This incident would have been hard to hide if Grimmjow actually could become pregnant.

* * *

"…And be careful. Ichigo says the alien who lays claim to that particular area shot Shiro in the stomach with an arrow, when he first came to the area." Urahara said. It was early morning and he was at the breakfast table, giving out assignments. He frowned as he glanced around. Everyone was looking at him strangely and there were a few stifled giggles. "Is something wrong?" He asked, a chill entering his voice.

"N-Not really." Renji answered, sounding a touch breathless. Urahara frowned at him and reached down to pick up a piece of bacon.

Then he blinked as his hand touched nothing but china. Glancing down he was astonished to see his plate was completely clean of food, although still streaked with syrup. A black, clawed hand slipped out from beneath the tablecloth and began to gather the sweet liquid. Laughter broke out around the table and Urahara blushed, wondering how long the alien woman had been stealing from him before he noticed. Flipping up the tablecloth he smiled as Yoruichi gave him a wide, pleased with herself smile.

"And how is the biochemistry evaluation coming?" He asked with aplomb. They really didn't want to poison Yoruichi, although the young female didn't seem to be showing any ill effects. But nutritional deficiencies could show up more slowly.

"Almost done. So far the biochemistry of this planet appears to be extremely earthlike." The man in charge of that said. "We should have the full report for you by tonight."

"Excellent." That eased his mind somewhat and he smiled at Yoruichi, who was pouting a bit at not getting a better reaction. "Yoruichi, would you mind helping us with our work?" He asked, switching to her language.

"Sure!" She said happily, licking off her finger. It was adorned with a bright pink, gummy flower ring. The young alien liked it just as much as the wedding band she'd traded for it. "What can I do?" She asked and Urahara smiled, playing with his fan.

"We wanted to take some samples from you. Hair clippings, nail clippings, a bit of blood, that sort of thing. If you don't mind?" He didn't think she would. They had already gotten samples from Shiro and Grimmjow, both of whom seemed to place no importance on such things. Yoruichi nodded, bouncing a little in place. "Also, I was wondering if you could help us make contact with the green one? He lives on the other side of the river and we need to put up some equipment there." He said, leaving out the details of what it was for. There was no need to tax Yoruichi's understanding. The young female frowned slightly.

"I don't know… maybe. Do you have any scent markers from him? They could tell me a lot." She said and Urahara blinked, captivated by the idea.

"What can you tell from the scent markers?" He asked, intrigued. Yoruichi grinned.

"Everything! If someone is old or young, male or female, fertile or sterile, if they're sick… our scent markers are great! I love to sniff them." She said happily and Urahara choked, suddenly imagining Yoruichi sniffing another alien like a dog. He didn't think she would hesitate for a moment.

"Well, we have plenty of scent markers. We weren't sure what they were at first, so we collected them." He said and Yoruichi giggled at the thought. "Would you follow me?" He said as he stood and Yoruichi nodded.

"Sure!" He led the young alien woman to the tent with the collection of stones, only pausing to grab a bit of extra bacon. Kisuke nibbled on it, passing Yoruichi a piece with a smile. She was strange but really starting to grow on him. The young woman crunched it with gusto and he noticed that she attracted attention from every young man she passed, probably due to the tight black pants and the lacy yellow camisole she was wearing. He held open the tent flap for her and Yoruichi ducked inside with a giggle.

"Why are some of them in cages?" She immediately asked as she looked over the stones. Urahara smiled as he looked them over. One of their geologists was also an amateur jeweler and she'd brought some copper wire with her. Since they were allowed to take a few souvenirs, she was turning a few of the gems into makeshift necklaces.

"Our people like to wear them." He explained and Yoruichi gave him a disbelieving look. "We can't read the scents like you can, but they smell nice and look pretty."

"But they come from our butts!" Yoruichi said with a grin, jerking a thumb at her nether regions. Urahara blushed and coughed, hiding his mouth behind his fan.

"Yes, well… we weren't planning to mention that when we trade them." He said humorously and Yoruichi laughed. "I believe this one is from Green." He picked up a green stone that was flecked with black. Yoruichi sniffed it curiously and wrinkled her nose.

"He's mated already. I don't like the scent. It's not that it's terrible, it just doesn't suit me." She said and Urahara wondered what that meant. But Yoruichi probably wouldn't know the why behind her own reactions. "He might not like my scent either, but I'm a fertile female so he wouldn't hurt me. I could try… are any of these others from people close by?" She asked and Kisuke could hear an odd note in her voice. He frowned but nodded.

"This one is from Shiro." He offered her a large white teardrop. It was beautiful, milky white flecked with gold. Yoruichi sniffed it and blinked.

"Sterile and sick!" She said and Urahara blinked. He'd already known Shiro was sterile, but sick? She put the stone back disapprovingly and he reached for another.

"This is Shiro's mate." Mindful of the name problem, he'd avoided actually using Grimmjow's name around her. Grimmjow's stone was a lovely blue flecked with green. Yoruichi sniffed it and stood absolutely still for a moment before uttering a yowl. Urahara started, shocked by the reaction and wondering if she'd somehow been hurt. But then he saw the wide grin on her face.

"Family! This is FAMILY! Someone else survived!" Yoruichi caroled and Kisuke stared as she clutched the stone and twirled. "Fertile female, someone close to me! Sister, aunt or cousin! Oh, who could it be? But it's blue… do you know the name? Who is it?" She demanded and Urahara hesitated a moment. But if Yoruichi's family didn't believe in the name taboo then there was no reason not to tell her.

"His name is Grimmjow." He said, making note of the 'fertile female' comment. That didn't make much sense.

"My weird cousin!" She said happily and Kisuke smiled at her joy. "He's sort of a female! Strange, but he was always great to be around. Oh, I have to meet him! Can I meet him Kisuke?" She asked him, her golden eyes wide and pleading. Urahara nodded.

"Of course you can." Now that he knew the two aliens were related, it was only sensible to take Yoruichi to them. Perhaps she would want to stay with Shiro and Grimmjow. The thought made him feel regretful, but it would still be better for her to be around her own kind. Kisuke thought the aliens were undergoing a watershed moment, a time when their population had been drastically thinned. Such a thing could lead to evolution or extinction, and every possible genetic source would be needed for their future. "Would you like to go right now?" He asked and Yoruichi bounced on the balls of her feet.

"Yes please!" Her happiness was infectious and Kisuke smiled to himself as he took her to one of the ATV's, signaling Soi Fon to provide them with a few escorts. He didn't think that Grimmjow or Shiro would react violently, but there were plenty of raptors around. And you couldn't be too careful. He was the leader of the expedition and Yoruichi was a young, female alien.

They were both important, in their own ways.


	6. A Limited Future

Author's Note: Mom and dad are home so now there's help with the babies other than me. I might be able to write again. XD

Shiro licked his lips, gazing into the depths of the water with narrowed eyes.

Fishing wasn't necessarily easy but it was always rewarding. The fish that came from the ocean were full of fat and ready to spawn, a dream come true for anything that ate fish. There had been plenty of raptors at the shallow part, but he and Grimmjow had managed to drive them away. Raptors always feared his kind, although they wouldn't hesitate to attack if they looked weak or injured.

So the raptors had been relegated to less choice spots, and he and Grimmjow were fishing. Shiro used a cleverly made net while Grimmjow preferred to use his hands and claws. They were equally successful, which was a little annoying to Shiro. In his old family, a net beat hands every time.

Shiro was just pulling a fish out of his net when a strange sound split the air. Orange was sitting on the bank and quickly stood, looking towards it. Then the two aliens gaped as a strange… thing trundled into view.

"What th' hell is that?" Shiro said as Grimmjow stared. "There's people in it?" He asked but his mate had completely lost interest in the moving thing. His focus was solely on the woman inside it.

"Yoruichi!" Shiro cursed and tried to grab his hair as he went by, but missed. His stupid and trusting mate was going to do something idiotic again, he just knew it. Shiro tensed as the female leapt off the thing and sailed at Grimmjow.

"Grimmjow!" For one brief, horrible moment Shiro thought they were trying to kill each other as they grappled and tumbled through the grass. But then his fear eased as he realized they were both laughing and crying, nuzzling each other like close siblings. He snuck closer, his ears tilted forward as he tried to listen in.

"You're alive you're alive you're alive…" The female punctuated every word with a kiss and if she'd been male, Shiro would have been bristling. But if they'd ever been lovers it would have been purely for entertainment. Grimmjow was certainly not fertile in the male position.

"I can't believe you made it." Tears were streaming freely down Grimmjow's face as he hugged the female tightly. Shiro noticed that Ichigo was quietly conversing with one of his people, a man wearing a funny looking hat. But most of his attention was on the drama unfolding in front of him. "Did anyone else get out? Did your parents?" Grimmjow asked and Shiro blinked as everything suddenly clicked. Of course. This was a female relative of some kind and the white alien relaxed a bit as he realized that. They couldn't be too closely related – the skin color was very different – but they could be as close as half-siblings.

"No." She said sadly, her ears flattening a bit. Shiro could sympathize. "It was all so confusing when the flooding started… mama yelled at me to grab the babies and run. I could only reach my little sister, and I was holding onto her so hard but a branch hit my arm and just ripped her away." The female reached up to wipe her eyes and Shiro cringed to himself. He could absolutely picture it. "Who is this?" She asked, clearly changing the topic. Bright gold eyes eyed him dubiously and Shiro frowned at her.

"This is my mate." Grimmjow said, omitting his name. Shiro appreciated that. "And this is my cousin." He said to Shiro, who nodded at her. She gave him a critical look then suddenly grinned.

"I'm Yoruichi!" She said, pulling away from Grimmjow a bit to lounge on the grass. Shiro hissed, annoyed. That was far too friendly for a first meeting and now he was obligated to give her his name, unless he wanted to make his distrust obvious.

"I can see you two're related." He said drily and Grimmjow grinned. "I'm Shiro." He said a touch sourly but the female just gave him a cheeky grin.

"Nice to meet you Shiro!" She chirped out before darting out to give him a hug. Shiro recoiled but couldn't avoid her and he cursed softly as Grimmjow laughed. His blue mate had told him he'd come from a very touchy feely sort of family and it hadn't bothered him when it was Grimm, but it was different from a stranger. "Ah… you're hot." There was an odd note to her voice and her golden eyes narrowed into slits for a moment. Shiro yanked away, scowling at her as a bit of fear crawled through the back of his mind. But she just smiled at him innocently and turned away. "You have a mate? That's wonderful!"

"Yeah, and he's the most beautiful mate in the world." Grimmjow said proudly and Shiro couldn't help but blush. His mate immediately proceeded to make it worse, sliding up behind him and running his hands across his waist, dipping down beneath his leathers.

"D-Dammit Grimm! I'm gonna slap you!" Shiro threatened, gripping blue hair and giving a yank. There was a wince from his mate but he didn't stop, teasing him with slow, languid strokes. "Nnngh, agh! Not now ya bastard!" Shiro tried desperately to squirm away. It wasn't that he didn't want to lay with his mate – he loved it – but his family had far too many taboos for him to be comfortable with this kind of display in front of Yoruichi, Ichigo and the strange man. They hadn't even been introduced to him yet!

"Aw." Grimmjow looked dejected but let him go, sensing that his mate was really serious this time. Shiro took a few deep breaths, trying to get his body under control as Yoruichi giggled madly. Glancing over he blushed further as he saw Ichigo and his friend were both watching the show.

"Well, who th' hell is this?" He asked grouchily, eyeing the stranger. Shiro knew what hats were, although he associated them with old women. So the white and green thing looked particularly odd over the straw colored hair. The thing he was holding in his hand was weird, too. The white alien had no idea what that was for.

"This is Urahara Kisuke." Ichigo introduced him and Shiro instantly caught the deference in his body language. This was someone Orange respected, an elder perhaps. "He is the leader of our group." He explained and Shiro nodded, looking over the stranger thoughtfully. He didn't look particularly strong or agile, but Ichigo had said that his people were here to study them. That wouldn't require being an excellent hunter so he'd likely been chosen for completely different skills.

"Will you be staying here, Yoruichi?" He asked and Shiro's eyes widened at the thought. He desperately hoped the female wouldn't. She had every right to as Grimmjow's only surviving family, but Shiro had a bad feeling about her. He bit his lip, looking down as guilt suddenly hit him. He hadn't felt it in years but the look Yoruichi had given him brought it all back.

_Why was I so stupid? I shoulda just said… but it's too late now._ Shiro thought miserably. Dragging his mind away from his mistakes, he paid attention to what Yoruichi was saying.

"I'll just stay for a while if that's okay!" The alien bounced with a happy grin and Shiro averted his eyes, feeling another blush rising on his cheeks. She was a fine picture of a woman and he liked females just as much as males. "I want to get to know my cousin's mate better!" Shiro winced at that and sidled up to Grimmjow again. He relaxed a little as he felt his mate's hand on his back. Grimmjow knew he was uneasy although not why.

Hopefully, it would never come up.

* * *

Urahara watched with a smile as the three aliens began fishing in the stream, chattering away. At least, Yoruichi and Grimmjow were chattering. Shiro was keeping a bit of distance from the amiable female.

Kisuke was no stranger to inter-personal relations, and while gauging how aliens interacted was a difficult business he was finding that he agreed with Ichigo. They were very humanlike in their emotions and interactions. So he could tell that Shiro wasn't very happy about the newcomer to his small group.

"Is Shiro particularly antisocial, Ichigo?" He asked quietly as Yoruichi dove after a fish but came up empty handed. Grimmjow laughed and made fun of her as she hissed.

"Um… well, I wouldn't quite say that." Ichigo said cautiously and Urahara smiled to himself behind his fan. "He's not as outgoing as Grimmjow but most people aren't. He's really nice when you get to know him."

"I was just thinking that he wasn't very glad to see you, and now he seems to be reacting the same way to Yoruichi." He observed, watching Ichigo carefully. The young man frowned, glancing at the three aliens.

"He's rather jealous when Grimmjow pays attention to someone else." Ichigo admitted. "Maybe that's it." Kisuke considered that for a moment with a frown. There was something else that had been bothering him lately.

Ichigo was recording many of his interactions with the aliens, and Urahara had noticed that they were both becoming quite affectionate with the human in their midst. It was hard for him to tell what was happening sometimes, but they were both becoming quite physically close to Ichigo. And there were some suspicious blackouts in the records. Kisuke chewed his lip, wondering if he should bring it up.

But he decided not to. Largely because it was harmless, but also because of Yoruichi. She was a young lady on the make, and her targets had only put up a token resistance. Urahara really didn't want to explain that to his sponsors, or the fact that he was becoming rather fond of the young alien himself. He was seriously considering taking her up on her offers.

"They really are beautiful, aren't they?" Kisuke mused as he watched Grimmjow toss a huge fish into the basket with a tremendous throw. The fish promptly flopped out and he chuckled as Grimmjow was scolded by his mate. He had to go back to properly store the fish.

"They really are." Urahara caught the slightly odd note to young Ichigo's voice and nodded to himself. The young man was very poor at keeping secrets. "You should see some of the artwork they make." Ichigo said with a smile before pulling out his obsidian blade. Kisuke had already seen it, after a fashion, but actually taking it and holding it was different from just viewing it.

"Beautiful work. Ow!" He nicked himself on the blade and shook his head, handing the knife back. "Well, keep up the good work. Unohana Retsu should be arriving soon." He said and Ichigo nodded, his expression a bit pensive. Kisuke could imagine why. He wasn't eager to share in the glory of his discovery, but he also knew that he was too young to handle this on his own. Yet he also knew the reason Unohana was coming with only one aide was because the planetary government of Hallelujah was still denying that these aliens were sentient. That was a slam on his abilities, but if Unohana said they were sentient then that would be that. So naturally Ichigo was a bit conflicted.

"I'll do my best sir." Ichigo said and Kisuke nodded. He was just starting the ATV when Yoruichi ran back and snatched his hat all in an easy, fluid move

"Don't think you're getting away too easily! I'll be back after I've caught up with my cousin for a while!" She promised with a grin, the hat sitting on her head at a jaunty angle. Kisuke ran a hand through his hair and smiled back. Yoruichi was so cheerful; she made him feel young again.

"I don't think anything gets away from you. Could I have my hat back, please?" He said humorously and Yoruichi laughed, tossing it back. He caught it easily and put it back on his head. "Thank you. We'll be looking for you." Although they wouldn't see her until the young alien chose to reveal herself. The camouflage they called 'hierro' really was amazing. They were still trying to determine how it worked.

"Goodbye!" She called as he left and he turned a bit in the ATV to wave. She waved back, a gesture she'd learned from them and Urahara smiled to himself.

He was sure Yoruichi would be back at the camp in no time.

* * *

Shiro sat by the fire, feeling more and more uncomfortable.

They'd spent the rest of the day preparing and smoking the fish. They'd also taught Ichigo how to slice them for smoking. At first he'd cut the fillets too thick, a natural thing to do since it maximized the amount of meat. But the slices had to be thin to smoke properly, despite any potential waste, and they'd corrected his technique. Now the teepee was smoking away, and they were all enjoying an evening meal of raw and barbecued fish.

What was making him uncomfortable was Grimmjow and Yoruichi. His mate was singing his praises to the young female and encouraging him to be social, but Shiro just couldn't do it. The most he could manage was to sing a bit for her before ducking his head. The sharp looks she sometimes sent him put him on guard and he had a bad feeling he knew why she was looking at him that way. Shiro looked away and saw Ichigo. He'd taken a cautious bite of the fish and was nibbling on it now with a dreamy expression.

"It tastes like salmon. It looks like salmon, too." He said and Shiro flicked his ears at the foreign word, grateful for the distraction.

"We don' have these in th' rainforest, so we was just calling 'em pink fish." He told the other man, taking a big bite of his fish. It was one of the ones they had cooked on a stick and he deeply enjoyed the seared flesh. "Salmon. That sounds funny." Shiro wasn't sure he liked it. It sounded a bit too close to a bad word for comfort. "I think they'll stay pink fish."

"Well, they can't be the same as our salmon anyway. They do taste the same, though." Ichigo popped another piece in his mouth and suddenly stopped with a slightly panicked look. "Oh, I shouldn't be…" He started but Shiro huffed a laugh before poking him in the side with one finger.

"I'm pretty sure you're not gonna die." He told the young man from beyond the stars. Ichigo hesitated a moment before shrugging and taking another bite.

"You're probably right." He said and Shiro smiled. It would be nice if Orange ate their food once in a while. It felt good, like he was becoming a proper member of the group.

"So Shiro." Yoruichi suddenly said and he couldn't stop his flinch. "That thing you have. Did the shaman say it's really bad? Because it feels and smells really bad." His heart nearly stopped at the casual question. Her face was open and friendly but her eyes were calculating as she stared at him, gauging his answer for truthfulness.

"I…" Shiro glanced at Grimmjow. His stupid, trusting mate was looking confused. Shiro swallowed hard. He couldn't lie. He'd never lied to Grimmjow, just left something out. It wasn't the same. "It's… not good." He said before looking away. His mouth felt dry and his heart was pounding. And why did Ichigo have to be here for this? _Why didn't I tell him years ago?_

"What're you two talking about?" Grimmjow asked and Yoruichi gave him a look before glancing sharply at Shiro. The look on her face wasn't the least bit friendly.

"He doesn't know. And you didn't tell him." Her voice held condemnation and Shiro lifted his head, managing to meet her eyes.

"Wasn't his business at first. An' after we… I didn' know how." He said, feeling the pain twist in his chest. That had been wrong, he knew it.

"Shiro?" Grimmjow was starting to sound pissed off and a touch scared. Shiro looked over at him and met bright blue, upset eyes. "What's she talking about?" His mate left Yoruichi's side to move closer to him as Shiro looked away. He glanced up as a black hand gently touched his shoulder. "Shiro?"

"Grimm… I'm sorry." Shiro whispered. "My… my thing… it's gonna kill me Grimm." He said, his heart hurting at the shock in his mate's face. "They dunno why but… this heat thing, it runs in my family. And I got it bad. I'm pr'bly not gonna make it past thirty." He was twenty-three now. He'd been barely fifteen when the mud had killed his family. Grimmjow was older.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Grimmjow's voice was husky with shock and a growing grief. Shiro swallowed hard, feeling the guilt again. He knew his mate had dreamed of them growing old together. He'd mentioned, several times, planning for when they were old. Shiro had ignored it, deliberately not thinking about his own limited time.

"I didn' know how. An' I was afraid… you might want me t' leave…" It was always the same fear. Shiro knew he wouldn't survive it if he was rejected again. He couldn't go back to being alone after experiencing such closeness and love. Then he gasped as Grimmjow suddenly yanked him close. Sharp teeth touched his throat and Shiro froze as he heard Grimmjow's rumbling growl. "Grimm…?" It wasn't easy for them to tear another's throat out with nothing but their teeth, but that was clearly what his mate was threatening.

"You really piss me off sometimes." Grimmjow snarled but thankfully moved his teeth away from Shiro's throat. "Why can't you trust me? Why are you always so scared? I know your family fucked with your mind but shit Shiro! Can't you just trust me?" Shiro's breath caught in his throat and he blinked. He hadn't thought of it that way at all. "You know what this says to me?"

"Wh-what?" Shiro said timidly as Grimmjow drew back to look into his face. He looked furious, his blue eyes flashing and his claws half extended as he gripped white shoulders.

"If you have only seven years left, then we need to make them the best damned years we can." Grimmjow claimed his lips then and coherent thought became impossible. Shiro felt like he was melting as his mate dominated the kiss, ravaging his mouth and giving him tender nips. He couldn't stop the tears from building in his eyes, tears of pure thankfulness.

"What did I do t' deserve you…?" He asked as they finally parted, seeing a suspicious wetness in Grimmjow's eyes. His mate sniffed, rubbing his eyes for a moment before smiling and nipping his ear.

"Just being yourself. C'mon, let's go. I want to be with you tonight." Shiro nodded as Grimmjow took his hand and they left the fire, completely ignoring Yoruichi and Ichigo. They could entertain each other and this would be for the two of them.

They needed the time together.


End file.
